The GATEs between Worlds
by Tony516
Summary: When the GATE appeared in Japan, it opened opportunities for the nation and dubbed the new world "The Special Region". However, Earth wasn't the only world to receive a GATE, the GATE also appeared in the Afterlife often referred to as The Other Side or the Spiritual Realm inadvertently connecting the two worlds together. The Special Region is unfortunately in between two fronts.
1. Chapter 1

**First and foremost, I want to say this before you start reading. This is a "Crossover" between an Original Series I developed over a few years and still refining it. The Org. Series share similarities with others but that's to be expected nowadays. Anything from the Org. Series can be confusing and/or interesting and eventually will be explained in due time so just bare with it.**

 **The Org. Series is mentioned in my other Fics, mainly the Freezing Fanfics, if you are familiar with them and read them, you have at least some basis regarding the Spiritual Realm's factions and terminology. It should also be added that I've expanded on the Org. Series since then so things may be different and inconsistent with what's there.**

 **That's all I have to say, happy reading.**

* * *

"My name is Yuki. I am a Commander of the Ghost Brotherhood Order and a Veteran of The Spiritual Realm's Second Great War. Those under my command call me "Burning Snow" when they think they're being funny, they're not. Before that, I was just a Regular following orders that were given to me. Before becoming a Ghost, I used to be the daughter of a Lord some time in the 9th Century; A princess, but beyond that I am nothing more, nothing less."

 _Some Context:_

The Spirit Realm - The Spirit Realm, often referred to as " _The Other Side_ " or " _The Afterlife_ ". Most individuals wind up here upon their deaths physically. The Spiritual Realm has existed for as long as the Living World has.

The Living World/IRL - The Physical World, as is referred to in the Spiritual Realm, is home to Humans whom are born there and eventually die there. Upon Death, Human spirits are sent to 1-of-3 plains of existences depending on their beliefs and actions.

The Guardians, The Assassins, The Brotherhood - The Main Three Factions of the Spiritual Realm. These three are considered the superpowers of the Spiritual Realm.

Mainlands - Mainlands are used to describe the large continents each main three faction are based off of. Despite having nations on said Mainlands, they are called a specific mainland based on the amount of influence and power a faction's control. An example being, The "Assassin" Mainland.

Contested Lands - The Contested Lands are disputed regions mainly referring to both the Guardian and Assassin Mainlands which the Brotherhood colonized long before the factions reached the regions, both factions have since grew in power and seized those regions for their own.

Ghost/Spirit - The individual essence of what is considered the Soul. The former Life of a living being that once inhabited the Physical World, now continues to reside in the Spiritual Realm for the reminder of his or her's life. Ghosts don't age accordingly to time but rather experiences, A ghost can essentially live on for thousands of years before passing on.

Spiritual Energy - Like one's "ghostly" essence, the energy pertains to the amount ghosts can have. Seeing how ghosts do not have a body, the "Ghost" Energy compares to a physical body in more ways than one. The more energy one has, the more capable they are. The Energy can also be weaponized and used to enhanced one's abilities much like harnessing the inner qi.

Capital City - Capital's are considered the walled Cities in the Spiritual Realm. Much similar to a Metropolis.

The Crown City - The Prime Metropolitan and Official Capital of a Nation and/or Faction. The Crown Cities are quite massive, spanning across several regions, it hosts hundreds, if not thousands, of districts.

The Ghost Brotherhood Order - The official governing system of the Brotherhood, the Order comprises of individuals whom harnessed their energies and use it to protect others, including the Living World. It was the primary army of the Brotherhood at one point in the Spiritual Realm's history. The Order is structured by Rank and amount of energy one has.

The Ghost Brotherhood Military - Since the rapid industrialization of the Spiritual Realm, The Brotherhood has created a modern military using ballistic weaponry. It's first soldiers of the military were once Order Dropouts and Ghosts that couldn't make the Order's Spiritual requirements. Essentially, They are inferior to the Order Members.

Brotherhood Order Rank: Lord - The Lord is the Supreme Leader of the Ghost Brotherhood Order, their authority is absolute. For one to become a Lord, there is a spiritual-level requirement and they must pass a Council's approval before they are elected to serve as The Leader of the Brotherhood.

Brotherhood Order Rank: General - The Generals are the leaders under the Lord. They are in charge of the politics and governing powers, they are the Council responsible for electing the Lord. Each General are also in charge of a division of their own, There are a total of 8 Divisions.

Brotherhood Order Rank: Colonel - The Colonels serve under their respective Generals within their divisions and act as regional power across the Spiritual Realm as well as the Living World. Each Colonel is responsible for a Section they command, the section is divided and have been placed throughout a region of their control.

Brotherhood Order Rank: Commander - The Commanders serve under the Colonels in a specific region and/or nation. Each Commander are in charge of their own Brigade and often times act as a median between the field and the command, they are responsible for safeguarding and overseeing a smaller part of a region and/or nation. Also, Each Commander are expected to serve in the field in times of combat alongside their Brigades.

Brotherhood Order Rank: Captain - Captains are the Commander's second-in-command and are often seen side-by-side with them. Each Captain are just as responsible as their Commanders and will sometimes take over for them, coincidently the Commanders usually dump all the paperwork on their unsuspecting Captains.

Brotherhood Order Rank: Regular - Regulars are the foot soldiers and back bone of the Order. Those that enlist are expected to met a spiritual requirement and if they don't, they are turned away. Those that do, are sent to train as Order Members for a period of 50 years. Shortly after training, the members become regulars and are put in the field. Their jobs can vary depending on the duties of their superiors, anything from frontline combat to overseeing and safeguarding points of interest.

* * *

 **Year 2011, The Spiritual Realm**

 **First Battle of the Second Great War, Assassin Mainland.**

Sitting in the bay of an aircraft transport alongside her Brothers and Sisters, Yuki awaited for the inevitable. While the First Great War was fought with swords, the Second one was going to be fought with the Tools of Modern Warfare; Guns.

Just minutes after supreme leader of the Ghost Brotherhood, the Brotherhood Lord, ended her speech declaring war on both the Guardians and the Assassins; Two of the Three Spiritual Realm's main factions, Yuki received a phone call. Reaching into her Plate Carrier she pulled out her cell phone only to read " _Shinko 3 BFF_ " across the caller ID.

A soldier from the front of the Aircraft walked over to Yuki. Unlike the rest of the solders whom all wore sci-fi looking helmets, this soldier wore a patrol cap signifying rank, "Take it." he told Yuki giving courtesy because this may as well be her last time to speak a normal conversation.

Yuki gave a simple nod before answering, "Hello?" she greeted.

"Hey, Yuki!" the girl answered cheerfully on the other end, "How's it going?" Shinko politely asked. Long story short, Shinko and Yuki used to go to a private academy as rivals but Shinko died and became a demon. Yuki and Shinko would meet again while dealing with an incident and their rivalry turned into friendship.

Delighted to hear her friends voice again, Yuki smiled, "Fantastic." she replied just as cheerful.

"That's great." Shinko acknowledged. After a brief pause Shinko spoke up, "Are you in an plane?" she curiously asked hearing the sounds of the engines.

"Yeah." Yuki answered, "We did it, Shinko." She added with a sense of pride within her tone of voice.

"Oh?"

"Remember what I said about the Contested Lands?" Yuki stated like she mentioned it before. After a brief pause Yuki spoke up again, "We're finally going to do something about it. We're going take it back." Now, Yuki's tone was now full of determination.

Shinko's response was a sound to that of someone thinking of something, "Hmm, How are you going to do that?" she asked wanting to know how such a feat would be accomplished.

Yuki dropped her smile and held a serious expression, "We're gonna kill every last one of them." she coldly told her friend, mainly referring to the ones attempting to forcefully take the Brotherhood colonies.

"That's...good." Delaying her words, Shinko wasn't sure how to respond.

"Yeah." Yuki acknowledged before smiling again, "Hey listen, I hope you do great in whatever lies ahead. I know I will." As a friend, she felt she needed to be supportive.

On the other end, Shinko smile, "Yeah. Take care of yourself." she said back.

Yuki exhaled a sigh of relief, "Always...Friend." she said before hanging up and putting her phone away. Yuki felt that Shinko always held a sense of good inside her, despite becoming a demon.

Yuki proceeded to wipe a single tear forming in her eyes, partly due to having some last words with her friend and partly due to her pride as a Ghost and off to "liberate" Brotherhood colonies.

Moments come to pass before the light beside back hatch of the transport turns on a bright red, "You're up Yuki." The field officer with the patrol cap calls her over.

"Right." Yuki nods before getting up and stands next to the officer. Being an Order Member has it's perks as oppose to being a Military Soldier, "Listen up, 'cuz I'm only gonna say this once! Do not give our enemies a chance to breath. No prisoners, no exceptions. They will pay for what they did to our brothers and sisters, they had this coming for a long time." Yuki explains with a strong and bold sense of pride. At this point, she may even be called an Ultranationalist, "Now, once we hit ground I wan-" Her sentence was cut short when the Transport hit something and blew one of it's engines spiraling it to the ground.

Just as the aircraft pummeled to the ground, Brotherhood forces already engaged could see the aircraft's sudden descent. The Area of Operation itself was on a peninsula, pockets were lit ablaze with fires and sounds of gunfire filled the air. Now that war had started, The Days and Nights were going to be longer.

 **3 Months Later, Assassin Capital, Mountain Ridge**

Weeks into the Brotherhood landings on both Mainlands, It's military had made significant progress in liberating the Contested Lands. Engagement after engagement, the Brotherhood cut a swath against their enemies ravaging settlements belonging to the latter.

In one engagement, the Assassins launched a massive counter attack but ultimately failed when the Brotherhood's main and closest ally; Eisenreich, joined the War. Eisenreich was the Brotherhood's long standing ally since the founding of the Brotherhood Order and exported it's metal to the Brotherhood to which the nation is mainly known for. Since joining the War, Eisenreich made dozens of advancements in the field of warfare and ultimately developed a WMD long before the main three factions.

Standing alongside a ridge overlooking what once use to be a capital now a crater, Yuki just stared at the damage done.

A soldier with his helmet off casually walked up beside her, "Damn, Eisenreich beat us to it." he said. Embedded on his center of his chest plate had his rank; a corporal. He too looked on at the destruction left in the wake of the Eisenreich WMD.

"Yeah." Yuki acknowledged with nothing but a cold response. Oh how she hated that those fascists had taken her victory but it wasn't going to be over in the least, "But the war isn't over. What's the cliche? "It's just getting started"." She reassured herself before looking to the Corporal with a smile, her smile was all that was needed to say that she was ready for the next fight.

The Corporal smiled in return, "So what now?" he asked.

Yuki then turned back to the ruined city, "Rumor has it, The Guardians are putting up a helluva defense on their Mainland against our forces. My guess is once they hear we delivered a heavy blow to the Assassins, they'll have an opportunity to invade this Mainland as well with high hopes to take out their old and longest rival." She says giving her best bet on the most logical response.

"So it won't be long before we're having a Two-Front Engagement." The Corporal reaffirmed.

"Right." Yuki nodded. It was then she shifted her focus from the city to the mountain alps in the background. Those mountains bordered the Contested Lands dividing it from Assassin controlled Territory, crossing the alps themselves was a death wish but there were a couple of places to go around the alps. Yuki grinned knowing that the Contested Lands in the Assassin Mainland were now in Brotherhood control but she knew better that it wasn't going to be the end of it.

 **Another 3 Months Later, Jungles of Fjorn**

The Brotherhood was successful in taking back the Contested Lands from the Guardians and the Assassins and halted their advance to recuperate their forces, but orders were to continue into the enemy territories. There were two ways through the Assassin Alps, a valley and a jungle. The Brotherhood already knew that the Assassins would have already fortified their positions at the valley making it nearly impossible to break through. The jungles was the only option despite taking longer to go around. Unfortunately for the Brotherhood, The Guardians had already invaded and had been there first.

The frontlines were nothing short if a hectic war zone, much like the trenches of World War 1. At the start of the War, both the Guardians and the Assassins were behind in technology, it made the Brotherhood's battles easy but now that they've caught up, it evened out the war. The Guardians began using energy-directed weapons while the Assassins used heavily modified rapid-firing crossbows to counter-act the ballistic weaponry of the Brotherhood.

Trails of wisps and bolts of energy crisscrossed as both sides exchanged fire. The Guardians had brought their "Conqueror" Tanks to make the effort that they were here to stay and also push back both the Assassins and the Brotherhood. The Assassins were fighting on the other side of the mountains from which the Brotherhood was and if the Guardians were defeated, the other two would continue their fight. The Guardians wore distinctive White Armor and were often called Storm and/or Clone Troopers however in this case they had camouflage pattern to blend with the jungle.

The Brotherhood couldn't seem to gain any ground, in fact they were losing ground as fast as they were losing soldiers. Despite this, some Brotherhood forces would maintain their positions before being overwhelmed by said Troopers.

Yuki found herself in a trench, she couldn't even poke out her head without being hailed with energy bolts. Sitting next to her, a fellow soldier with a radio strapped to his back was unlucky enough to get struck in the face. The impact blew sparks out the back of his helmet and before long he dropped face planting against the wall of the trench. Yuki reached for the radio and decided to call in a last resort. After a brief exchange of words, Yuki hung out the radio to inform her brothers and sisters.

Glancing over, Yuki sees a female soldier get up from cover and return fire. Almost immediately after emptying her clip, two bolts struck the soldier. The first bolt struck igniting sparks upon impact, the body armor having saved the soldier's life however when the second bolt hit, it sent sparks out the back effectively killing her.

Reaching for her own radio in her helmet, she was quick to inform what was going to happen, "This is Order Member Yuki to all Brotherhood Units; Scramble, Scramble, Scramble! The hammer is coming down, I repeat, The hammer is coming down! Fuckin' Scramble!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Upon hearing this, Brotherhood personal dropped their weapons and began looking for the tools used for digging the trenches. Some have already started digging into the ground while some others provided suppression fires to allow the diggers time. Those that aren't digging or providing cover fire, decided to flee far from the frontlines and some of those soldiers were picked off by sharpshooters. Even the Brotherhood Tanks that were well dug in, began pulling out.

Having believed the Brotherhood lines were broken, The Guardians began pushing their assault. They had called in air support to deal with the entrenched tanks but now that they we're on the run, the aircraft would assist in dealing with the fleeing enemy. Little did they know, they would be walking into an ultimatum.

Being an order member, Yuki had materialized her sword from it's spiritual sheath and used it to defend herself against oncoming Guardian Troopers. Order Members were far superior than just regulars, Yuki had her blade enhanced and cut through the Guardian Armor. After cutting down many Guardians, she realized she too needed to run and so she broke into a sprint away from the frontlines, "They think they've broken through our lines but the truth is far from the matter." she said to herself as she ran speeding past jungle bushes throwing her sword. Shortly after throwing her sword, it dispersed into energy wisps.

Once she cleared the jungle, she could see Brotherhood personal off in the distance as well as a few tanks. She thought she was in the clear until she heard shots rang out from behind, the Guardians broke through with Fast Scout Vehicles and attempted to blast fleeing soldiers escaping the jungles. Yuki didn't stop running because one of the scout vehicles began chasing her. Despite her enhanced speed, the Guardian vehicle kept pace with Yuki and it seemed it was going it's top speed. The personal in the enemy vehicle was so content with chasing Yuki, they ignored other Brotherhood personal it passed by.

Yuki felt a strong pulse and everything went quiet for but a moment, it made the area uneasy until finally the ultimatum was delivered, "BOOM" The sky sounded before a loud and long whistle filled the air, It then became clear to the Guardians that they didn't break through the Brotherhood lines, they were fleeing from the blast radius. It was the Eisenreich WMD.

Eisenreich called their destructive creation " _Mjolnir_ ", appropriately named considering it use first used against an Assassin Capital City. It also should be added that Eisenreich began lacing their Warheads with mercury. Mercury was just as toxic to the Spiritual form as it is to the Physical body, anything ingested by the Spiritual Form would be added to maintain energy levels but if a toxin was to be added it would disrupt the levels throwing it out of proportion and potentially kill the individual.

Yuki turned around to check on the vehicle which was now little further away however just as she looked she was now staring at bright blinding sun rising on the horizon, only that it wasn't actually the Sun but the impact of a fusion reaction, Yuki couldn't avert her eyes. The fusion reaction acted like a Sun for a brief moment before going supernova releasing all it's energy at once.

The winds created by the detonation blew the Guardian Transport chasing Yuki away from ground zero and as it flew towards a blind Yuki, the main body slammed against her body, swiping Yuki off her feet and taking her along.

Hours come to pass and the Brotherhood had already began pushing through the crater of what use to be a beautiful lush jungle. The Jungles of Fjorn became a destitute wasteland. The Assassins having witnessed this bright light, decided to retreat and hit the Brotherhood elsewhere, after all they made quite the effort to push forward.

Brotherhood soldiers slowly made through way towards ground zero some already wearing filtration masks to keep from breathing the mercury that was laced inside the warhead and still lingered around the impact zone. A pair of Brotherhood soldiers noticed an arm sticking out of the ground and when one of them dug to look for a head, their spiritual sensors indicated the individual was still active, "Sir! Over here!" One of them shouted calling over a superior. The two then began digging out the rest of the body, only to find an Order Member on the brink of passing on.

What appeared to be another Order Member, quickly ran over to see what the fuss was about. This was no ordinary Order Member, he was an Officer of the Order; A Brigade Commander, "By the Great Divine..." The Commander said upon seeing the person in the state that she was in, "...Yuki? Yuki, Say something!" It took a minute to recognize the fellow ghost, realizing that it was one of his own subordinates he fell to his knee beside her and took her in his arms.

Yuki fell limp from the blast and became unresponsive, She was in a comatose state with a blank stare. The Guardian Vehicle took her for a short trip before being thrown off hitting the dirt with enough force to bury her there. Her survival was due to her training as an Order Member.

The Commander, still holding Yuki, began sobbing, "What the hell happened to you?" he questioned. At this point, one of the ground troops had ordered for an evac.

Another soldier, with a painted red cross clear on his helmet, back, and chest plates began examining Yuki for any signs of consciousness, "She's still here but I don't see any pupils." The medic stated flashing a light into Yuki's eyes checking for pupils, there were none. The medic took notice what color her irises are before looking at the crater ahead, "She must have looked at the blast directly." he concluded seeing Yuki's irises were blank and pale white, unlike her normal greenish color.

Obviously angry and sad, The Commander stood up carrying Yuki bridal style, "Lets get her out of here! She's clearly in critical condition." he told those around him and proceeded in the opposite direction of the Brotherhood forces.

"Evac is already on their way." The Medic responded staying with the Commander. The other soldiers had their orders and continued on with the rest of their unit. Needless to say, Yuki would never be the same.

 **12 Months Later, Brotherhood Mainland, Crown City of Haven**

Yuki was treated in ICU care while she was in a coma for 9 months until she regained consciousness, however she was still under the effects the Mjolnir WMD; She was blind. While ghosts don't have physical bodies to maintain, the effects are quite different when it comes to injuries and illnesses.

Yuki spent 3 months wearing a blindfold and moved around in a wheelchair, much to her dismay, she likened the idea of being helped. Within those three months, she had been promoted to the Rank of Commander while being granted an audience with the Brotherhood Lord who presented Yuki and hailed her as a member to aspire to.

12 months after the surviving the WMD, Yuki was ready to take off the blindfold, her eye color wasn't the green color she once had, they were now white. She was placed in a dimly lit room almost to the point of darkness to which her eyes glimmered in the dark. The doctor had taken off the blindfold and had Yuki preform some eyes tests, "Commander?" The doctor called, "Commander, Commander Yuki, I need you to respond." He stated preparing to write in his clipboard.

Yuki was a little disoriented once the blindfold had come off due to a nearby lamp's light because she had become sensitive to light. Yuki didn't quite her the doctor's question, "I...I...uh what?" She questioned, looking a little confused.

"What do you see?" the doctor asked.

"Oh." Yuki acknowledged before looking to see what was in front of her. Sadly, she couldn't quite see the apple because the light shining down on it made it difficult to make out, however she did see what appeared to be a roundish red ball, "I see...uh...a-an apple?" She trailed before giving up and taking a blind swing.

The doctor wrote down in his notes, he also picked up in the questionable tone of voice, "Good. Now, I want you to tell me which side the light is flashing." He said before changing the tests. Shutting off the lamp aimed at the apple, the. turning on a contraption with blinking lights. Each light were on opposite sides of the room.

Noticing a flashing light on her left, she kept seeing flashbacks to her time in the Fjorn Jungles, "L-le-left side. Incoming, left side." She stammered hesitantly. PTSD wasn't a thing in the Spiritual Realm but experiences and memories can be carried over, much like how an individual carries a burden.

Yuki and the doctor continued the tests for at least a couple of hours. One test involved shining a flashlight into her eyes to check the pupil but of course Yuki smacked the flashlight out of the doctor's hand and covered her eyes for a brief minute or two.

After the tests the were done, the doctor went into the other room, "How's she doing?" Asked a man standing against the wall looking at Yuki through a one-way window. This man's name was Hyuka, he is a Colonel in the Brotherhood Order. The Colonels were in charge of the Commanders and their Brigades, This comprised of a Section.

The doctor didn't bother to look at the Colonel but stared at his clipboard on his way towards his desk, "As it stands now; she's unfit for combat." The doctor answered, "She's still recovering."

The Colonel merely scoffed at his response, his expression was sour with distaste because Hyuka had taken it upon himself to mentor Yuki personally from a very young age, seeing her in this state gave him a mixed array of emotions.

Seating himself on a desk and ticking a few boxes, he turned to the Colonel one he was done, "I'm assuming you that's why you had Yuki promoted to a desk job as opposed to field work." he stated. At face value, Yuki was being promoted because of her actions but being under Hyuka's command, only he was able to give such a promotion and given that he had mentored her it was no surprise. The Colonel simply glared at the doctor, it became quite obvious, Hyuka was much like a father to Yuki.

In the end, Yuki was given special prescription sunglasses as well as some medication to help regulate her Spiritual Energy.

 **Present, August of 20XX**

Quite some time have passed since Yuki had taken off her blindfold and she's finding it rather difficult to get by day to day, especially regarding her eye sight. Having to wear a pair of shades everywhere she went wasn't bad all by itself, however her tales of surviving a WMD made her a legend and earned her a title. They called her "Burning Snow", a nickname which was a play on her personality and her given name. Those who've worked with Yuki have said that she has a fire in her soul, burning with passion. Either that or Yuki has a reputation for being hot-headed, it burns just standing next to her. Let's not forget to mention her eyes since they were now white and every look she gave, it was a cold stare. Yuki also had to retake training to make sure she was capable should the need arise. Her training included: Combat Forms, Sparring, Conditioning, Spiritual Techniques and Regulations. When she was done she immediately started her Duties as a Brigade Commander.

Sitting in an office like room with no windows, due to her condition, Yuki was seated at a desk writing in reports. To her right were the finished copies which stacked higher than her head, "Man~..." Yuki groaned and sighed as she finished the last of the reports, "...This is such a drag." she commented relieved of her duties.

After a brief moment she looked at the Living World Date before pulling out a two capsule cases, One filled with glowing blue crystals and the other glowing green crystals. One was supposed to regular her energy level because the WMD threw them out of whack, the other crystal is suppose to help with her eyesight. She popped one of each crystal into her mouth and chewed, *Crunch, Crunch* the crystals dissolved in her mouth.

She never bothered not taking them because she didn't want to find out if she didn't take those meds, all she knew was to take the blue one once every month or so and the green one she had to take every morning. After feeling the crystals turn to energy, she took to a glass of water then proceeded to leave.

Yuki left her office and headed outside but before she opened the door leading outdoors, she put on her shades. She had a variety set but today she wore ones that were similar to sport shades.

Upon exited the building, Yuki was greeted by an Order Member, "Morning, Commander." he acknowledged. The Member wore something between casual and formal added with a Shoulder Strap spanning the his left side shoulder blade to the left collar bone, Yuki on the other hand had both straps on her right and left.

Yuki immediately yawn in response, "Morning, Captain." she mumbled clearly having spent the night writing the reports. Captains are often side-by-side with Commanders because the Captains acted as second-in-command, "What's the latest news?" She asked glancing over to her second-in-command.

The Captain sighed before looking towards the rising sun, "We are to report to Haven for an Officer's meeting." Her Captain told her. Clearly he didn't like where this was going based on his reaction, "Something happened IRL." he admitted looking to Yuki with a serious expression.

"Oh?" Yuki wondered. The Brotherhood was very large in scale to world governments and for any type news to travel between the Order, it must be serious for every Officer to have to hear about it.

Yuki and her Captain made their way to Haven Tower. It was a base, it was the HQ, it was their Parliament, it was everything to the Brotherhood. Haven Tower is a massive building reaching into the clouds that could be seen from the Crown City Walls which was a significant distance away. To give comparison in size, The Crown City of Haven was equivalent to the American State of Texas and yet despite this, Haven was still consider small compared to the Guardian and Assassin Crown Cities.

Coming into the massive Tower, they managed to find the Parliament Section of the Tower and proceeded to the Meeting Chambers. Both of them eventually approached a massive door reading "1st", this was the chamber of the Brotherhood's 1st Division. The Brotherhood's 1st Division comprised of Sections stationed around the Pacific Rim; From East Russia to Australia, Alaska to Chile, as well as hundreds of regions within the Spiritual Realm.

Walking through the doors, a massive chamber with rows of individual desks neatly organize into columns. The chamber looked no different than the main UN Summit. Closer to the front were much nicer desks, these were where the Colonels and their second-in-command would sit and behind them would be their Commanders and their second-in-command, Each column separated the Sections each Colonel was in charge of.

Yuki and her Captain went to seat themselves at their desk labeled in english, or rather rōmaji in this case, "Haruna" on the face of the desk, this would indicate that Yuki is the Commander of the Brigade of Haruna. Like the UN, there were plates in front to identify each individual officer. The meet and greet eventually died down, with everyone at their supposed desk it was only a matter of time before the meeting started. Looking around, Yuki could see that few Commanders couldn't make it, they were there in spirit quite literally, The missing officers were in ethereal form projecting themselves as if they were there. The Ethereal Projection was a form of long distance communication often used by Ghosts.

Whispers filled the chambers as everyone wondered what was going on and before long, two individuals entered the room down by the main podium. It was the Brotherhood General, Zol, whom was in charge of the entire Division, along with his second-in-command and brother, Gol. Upon entering the chambers, the whispers stopped and awaited for the General to approach the podium and speak.

General Zol himself appeared a very mature well aged old man, the fullness in his cheeks nearly concave but surprisingly few wrinkles. The man wasn't General of the Brotherhood's 1st Division based on his appearance, he is a talented tactician and nearly unmatched in combat, it's also no surprise to any Brotherhood Member that the General himself was there at the foundation of the Ghost Brotherhood and it's Order serving as the very First Brotherhood Lord. A man with a service record like that should know that he is not to be truffled with. General Zol began clearing this throat, "Brothers and Sisters of the Ghost Brotherhood Order, I bring devastating news." he told the audience, clearly displease with the information he was going to give, "That's been an attack."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the chamber began looking to each other, some confused and others looking for confirmation and very few remaining calm. What kind of attack, they all wondered.

"Before you speak, this wasn't an IRL nation attacking another or an attack on the Brotherhood. This was another world attacking the Living World." General Zol continued pausing at that last statement to let the words sink in.

Hearing this, all the officers expressed their disbelief in unison, save for a few Colonels. It wasn't long for the the Commanders to start talking with on another and discuss ideas.

The General rose his hand for everyone to silence themselves, to which the did, "The humans are calling it; The GATE." Zol added, "The entire world IRL is talking about it. Details are scrambled and it looks like the world's nations are looking in the direction of the incident."

The General's second-in-command took a step forward to speak on behalf of his brother, "The attack happened in Ginza, Japan, which means the GATE falls under 1st Division's jurisdiction. Our members within the IRL Governments are attempting to limit the intervention as well as Japan's need for an immediate response." Gol explained. The Brotherhood wasn't beyond having it's members integrated in the governments of the Living World, this was make was sure the humans weren't too ambitious spiritually. Gol then turned to the Colonel's row down in front, "Colonel Hyuka, if you would."

Colonel Hyuka stood up and approached the center of the stage. Yuki took notice how he was wearing a suit and tie much like a bureaucrat would, "As is stands now, is it inevitable for Japan to send the Self-Defense Force through the Gate in retaliation." He states to the audience. Having know this information before hand, it became clear Colonel Hyuka was one of the members that seeded into the world's government, "We're aiming to delay that for minimum of 8-10 months but the likely hood is at least a 3-6 of months, give or take."

Upon finishing saying what Hyuka wanted, another Colonel spoke up, "Be that as it may, I think we too should send our forces through the GATE." She says with utmost confidence. This Colonel's section was in charge of safekeeping Western Canada.

Hyuka scoffed at the suggestion, "Colonel Kolt, you know very well that we shouldn't interfere with the Living World. This is their quarrel." He reminded her. Many of the Commanders nodded and agreed.

"Colonel Hyuka's right, We should not interfere. If the world ends in nuclear fire, So be it. If the world in invaded by extra-terrestrials, so be it. If Rapture happens, so be it. We cannot interfere with the affairs of the Living World." General Zol reaffirmed, while it was a bit hypocritical to have Brotherhood members in Governments and say not to take any action.

Colonel Kolt already saw that the Brotherhood interfered enough as is, "Are you in the least bit interested in what's on the other side?" She asked standing up from her seat, "I've finished reading the reports and I'm talking about Dragons, Goblins, Orcs. Most of all, Humans. It's a whole new world." she explains turning around to the Commanders. Some of them agreed, other leaned back to think a out it.

"I second that." Yet another Colonel spoke up, Fyrah. Colonel Fyrah's section was in charge of overseeing Australia and the Polynesian, "A new world means new opportunities for the Brotherhood." She agrees with a smile but then realizes something, "Furthermore, If we're talking about this and know about it, then it's likely that both the Guardians and Assassins are doing the same. We need to get there before they do."

"If they're talking about this then it's quite likely that they are too." One of the other Colonels stated adding much emphases on they as if referring to a fourth party other than the Main Three. His response garnered agreeing responses throughout the chamber.

"Then we should destroy the GATE before ANYONE gets any ideas!"

"Not going to happen, Japan's Government wants to know what's on the other side. The GATE is a two way street." Hyuka reassured the other Colonels but to no avail.

Like any other Congress or Parliament, the room became hectic with arguments flying back an forth, shouting was apparent on all sides. Commanders and their Captains took sides on what to do with the GATE while the Colonels acted more civilized and discussed with each other.

The General merely sighed upon seeing the Chamber in complete disarray which was uncommon but people were entitled to their own opinions. General Zol used his spiritual energy to materialize a Kanata with it's sheath and began pounding the floor much like a judge would. Everyone stopped bickering and turned to he General, "As 1st Division, we'll begin to set up stationaries and sentries throughout Ginza, when the time comes we'll be sending a few members through disguised as Japanese personal." He explained to the audience to quell their squabbling to which no one objected, The General's authority was absolute, "Now, onto different matters..." He continued and put the former to rest.

The meeting continued on as normal. The Colonels talked about reports and recruitments, discussed opinions in spiritual matters, etc. By the time the meeting was adjourned, It would seem most of the Commanders went back to talking about the GATE and once again picked sides but discussed what they would've have done differently. Colonel Hyuka's Section was in charge of Mainland Japan, that would mean Yuki's and her fellow Commanders would oversee the GATE and potentially go through it.

Yuki tapped her second-in-command's shoulder letting him know they'll be leaving. Just as they exited into halls, Yuki was stopped by a blonde female.

"H-hey." The blonde greeted nervously.

"Oh, Hi." Yuki greeted back stoically. Yuki wasn't a people person so her stoicism was a given.

The blonde leaned in forward to get a closer look at Yuki, "Are you Burning Snow?" She kindly asked staring into Yuki's snow colored eyes.

Feeling awkward, Yuki pulled back in response, "And if I am?" She questioned.

"I'm Commander Lea, I'm based out of Australia." The blonde introduced. After briefly considering what Yuki said, Lea scanned Yuki from head-to-toe inadvertently checking her out, "If you are Burning Snow, I just want to meet you and thank you for your service."

That's was this was about, "No thanks needed." Yuki chuckled in relief, "It really isn't a big deal-" ; "it IS a big deal! You single handedly stopped a Guardian advance at the Fjorn Jungles in the Assassin Mainland." Before Yuki could finish, Lea interrupted her. Of course, Surviving the WMD is what made Yuki a legend, funny how stories tend to get exaggerated.

"Oh...yeah." Yuki trailed clearly not liking being reminded of her time in combat, especially after her incident. Yuki then turned to advert her gaze and noticed another legend down the hall chatting up fellow Commanders, "Just so you know, Harbinger is over there." she said pointing in that direction.

Harbinger, The Brotherhood's Pride and Final Ultimatum. It's been said that Harbinger was the catalyst that started the Second Great War. The Assassins tried to instigate a disaster, it was he that prevented their goal making him a legend as well. The title was also much more than simply just, but that's a story for another time.

"I don't care about Harbinger. Sure, he's a legend but that's on THAT side of the Pacific Rim." Lea defended indicating she's only been stationed in the physical world, "The legend of Burning Snow is quite known on THIS side."

Surprised, Yuki was stumped, "Oh? Are you sure there aren't any other "legends"?" she asked obviously wanting out of the conversation.

"Nope!" Lea replied cheerfully. Yuki felt defeated and crushed, all

she wanted to do was go back to her office and sleep, "Say, how'd you like if we met the rest of my section? We've been dying to meet you." Lea offered wrapping an arm around Yuki's neck as if they were besties.

Yuki thought about her options, maybe perhaps meeting people wasn't so bad after all, "Sure. I don't see the harm in that." she answered with a soft smile. Heck, she might even get offered coffee, or a lunch. Maybe she was beginning to see the perks of being a Legend.

Deeply humbled, Lea grinned with excitment, "Great!" she exclaimed and began leading Yuki to meet her comrades and her superior.

 **Days later, Western Highlands, Neutra Mainland**

Neutra Mainland was the largest unclaimed landmass in the Spiritual Realm located several dozen kilometers off the Guardian Mainland. Following the Second Great War, it fell under Brotherhood control and since then, the Guardians sought to claim it which led to a few skirmishes on the shores and the coastline. The Brotherhood presence on the mainland was strong but not abundant, it does host a Base the Brotherhood uses before sending forces to fight in the Guardian Mainland.

The highlands themselves held a combination of plains and hills alike, however there were a few spots which held caves and within one of these caves held a large makeshift camp spanning dozens of tents and at the end of this cave stood a large structure made of stone, a GATE. Outside the large cave there was a large encampment, it was crude and rather primitive but still an encampment nonetheless. The encampment itself wasn't fortified to it's fullest extent, it wasn't there very long but long enough to set up a base of sorts. Within this encampment stood a much larger tent, this was the command tent.

In this command tent, were the leaders of this contingent, "New land, ripe for our conquest." One of these leaders stated. A Conquest in the name of their Empire.

"Surely the gods smile down upon us." Another one commented.

"Indeed." Acknowledged the officer identified as the Legate, "Have our scouts returned?" he asked. Upon arrival through the GATE, The Legate had ordered his made to make camp and send scouts through this unknown region.

The leader all looked to each other in response, "Afraid not, All the scouts we have sent never returned." one of them finally answered.

The Legate, deep in thought pondered, "How strange, They should have returned by now." he said to himself. Just what sort of land did they come across he wondered.

At this point one of the leaders stood forward, "We began sending patrols nonetheless." he told the Legate. Apparently he saw no meed to sit and wait for scouts so he decide to go ahead and sent out patrols in this foreign land.

The Legate clearly wasn't pleased with this information and just as he was going to speak up, an eruption of shouts sounded outside the tent. When everyone had looked to the door, a legionary came through and knelt down.

"Legate, One of out scouts have returned." He informed the leaders.

The leaders got up from their seats, grabbed their helmets, and followed the informer to this scout. They found themselves at the entrance of the camp outside the cave and the scout that just arrived was on the ground bent forward face planted. He seemed to be muttering prayers to their gods.

The Legate approached this man at his head, "Speak." he ordered.

The Scout flinched and slowly looked up to his superior, clearly shaken to what he had witnessed, "I have seen sorcery unlike any other." he answered. He expression was based out of someone who was frightened. grabbing the Legate's legs he climbed up to his knees, "Boom Sticks, Iron Rods that shoot lightning, Magic Exploding Stones, Self-moving iron carriages!"

The Legate frowned and shoved him off his legs, "Have you gone mad?!" he demanded. Surely a sane person wouldn't speak such blasphemy.

"Knights in Green Armor, Eyes like insects, Speaking in the tongue of demons!" The scout continued, "We must run, we must flee!" He said crawling to the other legionaries around him but to which they responded by stepping back.

The Legate was unimpressed with the scout, this man was supposed to be an Empire Legionary, he should not be insane, "Get this filth from my sight." The Legate ordered.

Two Legionaries then apprehended the man and dragged him off into the cave, "Heheheh, We are all going to die." The scout laughed as he was carried off. He had lost his mind in the span of a few days and The Legate was beginning to question the region he was in.

The Legate turned to the region beyond his encampment, the land couldn't be anymore harsher than the land back in the Empire but to drive a man to insanity was beyond him. Just what exactly is this new world they stumbled upon.

Unbeknownst to the Legate and the entire encampment, the Scout was followed. Far off in the distance was a hill with bushes scattered across it, hiding in one of these bushes stood a Green Knight the scout had mentioned. His armor had a leafy pattern to blend in with the bushes, his eyes were as if they were an insects, however the "Knight" had a symbol on his Pauldron; a Spades, along with a tab reading "RANGER".

Peering through a strange device, the "Knight" then lowered it before pushing a button on his helmet, "Private First-Class Mintah to Base, I found where the Legionary scout fled to. Be advised, I'm overlooking a large encampment with hundreds of foot mobiles. How copy?" the "Knight" said. After a brief pause, the individual answered, "Roger that, Maintain overwatch. Mintah out."

* * *

 **Things you may have missed:**

 **Division - The Main "Army" of the Brotherhood Order. In times past, before the foundation of the Brotherhood Order, each Division was once an individual nation. The Divisions are herded by a General and as mentioned earlier, there are a total of 8.**

 **Section - These Sections are what make up a Division and the number of each Sections differ between Divisions. Each Section is commanded by a Colonel.**

 **Brigade - Brigades are divided from Sections. The number of Brigades can also vary depending on the regions a Section is responsible for. The Brigades are lead by Commanders.**

 **Das Bundesreich von Eisen - Eisenreich, This nation is rich in metal and has existed long before the foundation of the Brotherhood Order and maintained it's stability thanks to it's exported metal. The Reich is governed by a Fuhrer and a Court of Kaisers who act as Regional Governors. Through it's exports to the Brotherhood, it has made them into an ally to the point that Eisenreich wishes to join the Brotherhood as it's 9th Division.**

 **Mjolnir - The Eisenreich WMD. The Mjolnir is a large installation which is a massive Howitzer that uses Electromagnets to fire it's warheads. Due to it being a Railgun, the energy output is greatly reduced to allow the Warhead to fly then drop to it's intended target.**

 **Ethereal Projection - This technique is often used as a form of long distance communication, as the saying goes "Here in spirit" is taken quite literally. The user's original position is seen as meditating and/or sleeping depending on what they are doing. The Ethereal Form cannot be harmed or interact with the world, however the form can be interrupted if disturbed which can abruptly end communication.**

 **The Second Great War - Following an incident involving the Assassins, the Brotherhood wasn't going to stand idly by and let the actions go unpunished. The Incident instigated the Guardians into preparing for War against the Assassins, and vice versa, however the Brotherhood was going to prevent that by starting one of their own. The Second Great War started when the Brotherhood invaded the Mainlands of both the Guardians and Assassins catching them off guard.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **That wasn't so bad now as it? Unfortunately I don't have much to say at this time so, be seeing you next chapter. (~)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again. You made it to Chapter 2.**

* * *

 _Some Context:_

Life Energy - Life energy is used to describe a living animal, whether it be human, canine, fish, birds, etc. Each of the categories have their own specific energies that can be identified and correspond with each animal. Upon death, The Life Energy is released and is sent to the Spiritual Realm.

Brotherhood Military Rank: Marshal - The Rank of Marshal is equivalent is a Modern Day General. The Marshal is essentially in charge of all Ground forces of the Brotherhood Military's of a specific Theater.

Brotherhood Military Rank: Naval Captain - Not to be confused with a Captain of the Order, The Naval Captain acts not different than a Modern Day Captain of a military vessel.

* * *

 **The Other side of the GATE, The Imperial Capital**

Within the Imperial Capital, stood dozens of Palaces and Manors for Senators and Royals alike. One such Palace belonged to one of these Royal; Piña Co Lada. She was the Third Princess of the Empire as well as the head of her own Order of Knights called the Order of the Rose.

Piña was getting ready for bed in her bed chambers, dressed in a night gown. She was just about to crawl into her bedding but as she opened the sheets, a strong sensation came over her, a sensation that could only be described as having another presence in the room, "Hamilton?" Piña called looking in the direction of the door. She stopped what she was doing and walked over, "Are you there?" she asked but no answer.

She was the only one in the room but somehow it feels as if there was another presence, because of this Piña became uneasy. Piña then crawled into her bed with her sword by her side for safe measure, even though the Guards were just outside the door.

She laid there with her eyes closed and fell asleep shortly afterwards. She began dreaming, she dreamt she was the ruler of a prosperous nation. She stood on a balcony over looking larges crowds of people as she waved to greet them all, her people in return cheered and praised their ruler. Her dreams soon took her on an adventure, from being Empress to a General, it would seem all is well.

Eventually Piña found herself on a trail in the middle of a forest, it was cold and the area was covered in white with flakes falling from the sky, "It's...snowing." Piña said as she looked up to see the snow fall.

Snow was rather uncommon but she knew what it was. She had heard stories of the North and have seen Snow once twice in her lifetime, it was fascinating to say the least. Water droplets shaped into tiny neatly shaped flakes was truly a marvel.

Piña smiled and held out her hand to catch some flakes, however upon landing in her hand the flake ignited and burned in embers, "Huh?" she sounded seeing the snow burn, "Burning Snow?" she questioned. Normally, Snow would melt instead of bursting into flames. Piña thought this was peculiar even for dreams.

The Princess went to grabbed a handful of snow in her hand to test this and sure enough the Snow was engulf in flames upon touching her hand. It didn't burn but the sensation felt warm. Once the flame had died, she noticed a silhouette standing ahead of her. The Silhouette was shadowed in a hazy smoke but the most striking feature were the eyes that glowed underneath a hood.

"Who..." Piña paused upon seeing the glowing white eyes of the silhouette, "...who are you?" she asked

There was no response from the silhouette, only that the silhouette turned around and proceeded down the path Piña had started on.

"Hey, Wait!" Piña called as she started following the silhouette. Piña tried to get closer but the silhouette seemed to have kept a certain distance from Piña, "Stop!" She demanded before running towards the shadowy figure but it too started running, "I said stop!" she shouted but just as the silhouette disappeared she received a strong impact dead center of her chest, "Huah!" she sounded as she hit the ground landing on her back. For a dream, a hit like that felt real, and a sharp pain grew where she was hit.

Groaning, she tried to get up but was pushed back down. A boot was place on her chest and the Silhouette was now a person, a woman. The woman wore black clothing made of cloth and leather boots, she wore a cloak with a hood that shadowed her face concealing it. Piña looked up to the woman looking down on her, her eyes emulated a glow underneath that hood, The eyes were cold. A curved arching sleek sword had appeared in the hands of the individual, Piña glanced at the sword before looking into the eyes of the woman. The longer Piña looked into the eyes, the more they had fire.

Underneath the hood of the woman, her mouth can be seen moving but little sound was heard. She had whispered something to Piña but all she could hear were mutters. The Princess was about to speak but not before the woman standing above her rose the sword ready to strike Piña.

Piña's eyes widen, "W-w-wait! NOOO!" she pleaded as the sword came swinging down aimed for her neck.

Just before the sword struck, Piña awoke in her bed, clearly shaken from the dream. She immediately got up and began feeling her neck for injuries, "I'm okay." she sighs in relief before checking her chest to see what struck her. There was nothing there, "It was only a dream." she said to herself.

The doors to her bed chambers open and in came a brunette wearing armor much similar to Piña, "Good morn~ing, Princess." she greeted coming in with servants behind her.

Piña saw the group and smiled, "Oh, Good morning Hamilton." she greeted back. The Brunette; Hamilton, was one of Piña's best friends and personal advisor to the Princess.

"Hm? Is something the matter?" Hamilton asked seeing Piña's bed in a mess from the night, "Did you have a nightmare?" she asked expressing concern.

Piña fell quiet as if to recount what it was she experienced. All was fine until she saw Burning Snow, "No, not a nightmare. Just a dream." she said vaguely. It was clearly bothering her because something didn't feel right when she was in that snowy forest.

"What was it about?" Hamilton asked expressing concern as the Servants went to their duties.

"I'm sure entirely sure myself..." Piña replied unsure how to explain, "...but I need to find out more of what I saw." she continued before jumping out of bed and heading ordering the servants to ready her clothes

"Eh?!" Hamilton sounded in disbelief. The Brunette was more-or-less timid, especially with outbursts from the Princess.

Full of determination, the Princess didn't hesitate to respond, "Hamilton, We need to leave, Find Grey and prepare a horse." She ordered as the servants began dressing her. Hamilton nearly tripped as she speed towards the door and did as she was told.

 **The Spiritual Realm, Airspace of the Neutra Mainland**

As night fell using the cover of darkness, A fleet of Brotherhood "Scabbard" Transport Aircraft flew in formation en route to Neutra Mainland. Once again, Yuki was in one of these but unlike before, These aircraft have been upgraded so Yuki won't have to worry about crashing anytime soon. In the bays of these aircraft stood over two dozen individuals, these individuals wore distinctive Samurai Armor made with modern materials however there were some changes from the traditional armor.

Standing near the back hatch, Yuki stood there in armor with a hand on her ear piece, _[Commander Yuki, you are to rendezvous with Commander Jarrus and Commander Hanai as well as a couple of 2nd and 3rd Division's Brigades. They'll be on stand by, you'll also have support from an Aircraft Carrier.]_ A voice on the other end informed the Commander. The individual seemed to be an authoritative figure to deliver such a statement.

"Roger that, Marshal." Yuki acknowledged identifying the person on the other end by Rank, "What do we know about the enemy?" she questioned.

 _[Ma'am, As of recent, Brotherhood patrols discovered "Legionary" scouts belonging to an unknown faction. The scouts wore something similar to 3rd Division's legionary armor but spoke in an unknown language.]_ The Marshal on the other end replied.

Yuki pause upon hearings this information. It was rather odd, "Rebels?" she stated. Rebellions and Insurgency within the Spiritual weren't uncommon but almost every time there was one they wouldn't last very long and even if they did, they wouldn't be able fight the Three Factions.

The Marshal agreed, _[Most likely. It would seem that these rebels are using medieval weaponry and the scanners shows that the Rebels have amassed an army but that's not the weird part...]_ he paused allowing his words to sink in for a bit, _[...the weird part is we're detecting Life Energy.]_ The Marshal continued. Life Energy is a term used to describe someone that is Alive with a physical body as opposed to Spiritual Energy.

What? It didn't make sense, "Impossible." Yuki said with disbelief, she knew for a fact that Life Energy in the Spiritual Realm wasn't possible. Sure, it was possible for a physical body to survive in the Spirit Realm but to have a large enough number to call in a military intervention wasn't.

 _[It doesn't make sense, I know.]_ The Marshal once more agreed, _[Our equipment isn't malfunctioning either because I personally saw the diagnostics results three times over.]_ he added to confirm what he said earlier.

"So somehow Humans from the Living World managed to find a portal that leads into the Spirit Realm." Yuki said with sarcasm, "That still doesn't explain much."

With that, the Marshal pause for a few moments, _[With all due respect, I think it has something to do with that GATE 1st Division is overseeing in Japan, IRL.]_ he freely spoke.

Yuki nodded in agreement but it obviously to early to tell if it did, "What do you want us to do, Marshal?" Yuki asked sounding unsure at this point, they needed to have another contingent planned if the operation isn't as it seems.

Silence befell the two making the situation uneasy, _[Commander, if the Life Energy turn out to be Rebels, I leave it to your own discretion to deal with them. If they aren't what it seems, make contact and resolve this peacefully.]_ the Marshal spoke up and gave Yuki the nudge she needed to take charge, "We don't know what we're up against, hence the Aircraft Carrier just off the coast."

Yuki felt reassured, "Roger that." she replied. Shortly after that, communications between the two ended. Once above the Mainland, Brotherhood Order Personal leaped from the transports and landed with ease, shortly after they grouped together and formed columns of rectangle formations. Yuki's eyes emulated a strong glow in the night, a side effect of her WMD survival. Most of her Brigade stood behind her, no matter what enemy stood before them they were ready because they had Burning Snow as their spearhead.

 **Western Highlands**

After a hike of 40 kms or so, Yuki and her men found the Brotherhood rendezvous point. The other two Brigades were still in formation waiting for Yuki to arrive while their Commanders went ahead. Yuki ordered her men to stay and positioned them in between the other two Brigades, she went to a hill where the Commanders were scoping the area.

Upon reaching the hilltop, there were two Commanders; One standing, One on his belly, Yuki was greeted by the Commander standing up, "Commander Yuki, Nice to finally meet you but we've got a problem." He said cheerfully upon seeing Burning Snow but refrained from acting like a fan. Despite a kabuto covering his hair and the top half of his face, there was a distinguishable goatee.

Yuki saluted the fellow Commander and glanced at his chest plates reading his name for a quick second, "What is it, Jarrus?" she asked attentively though she never actually read the name because it was dark out.

"I'm Commander Hanai, Ma'am." The Commander corrected her, though he was only met with a cold glare from Yuki which sent chills down his spine, "U-uh, The rebels have started positioning. We estimate there are over 50'000 legionaries, maybe more. A peaceful resolution is unlikely." He continued and directed his attention towards the other hill across a small valley ahead of them. He was trying to keep his best to keep his composure, especially after coming face-to-face with Burning Snow.

Yuki scoffed in response, "How many we have?" she asked though she already knew the answer.

"We have 3 Brigades, 4 more en-route." The Commander, Jarrus, on his belly and peering through a pair of binoculars answered Yuki. Unlike Hanai, he didn't have a helmet. Jarrus looked like a middle-aged man with a strong facial structure, he also always did his hair with side spiked and the other neatly combed.

"I call that hardly fair." Yuki commented with a smug expression, "Have you seen an Order Member in combat?"

Both Jarrus and Hanai responded by looking to each other, "There's more though, We've counted over 15'000-plus non-human species." Jarrus answered before getting back up to his feet. Standing next to Hanai and Yuki, he towered over both of them.

Yuki then stepped to Jarrus jabbing her finger into his chest plate, "Then you better damn hope they speak English!" She said with fierce tone. If it wasn't apparent, Hanai could swear Yuki was on fire now, "Commanders, In formation! We'll show those rebels what happens to the enemies of the Brotherhood!" She yelled with an order. With a quick flick of her wrist, the three Brigades started marching up the hill. Like a traditional Samurai formation, each unit were armed with the respective weapons of that time period, minus the Yumi bow.

Obviously Yuki took charge acting as the field commander and just as they descended down the hill, the sound of a horn echoed. The " _Rebels_ " had spotted them and were preparing for a confrontation.

Once each opposing force was ready, Yuki ordered everyone to stop, she wanted them to take a good look at the enemy. Legions stood their ground, Mounted calvary in behind the footmen, and the various non-human species taking the point. The Brotherhood forces stood 15'000 strong while the Legionaries stood 65'000. Laughing could be heard from the legion's side since the Brotherhood's numbers were small in comparison but the Brotherhood was already used to it. The Ghost Brotherhood was the smaller faction of the Guardians and the Assassins.

Using her spiritual energy, She materialized her sword to her hip and slowly drew her katana from it's sheath and began pointing it towards the enemy muttering one word, "Attack." Upon giving the order, the three columns of Ghosts roared a battle cry before charging towards the Legion. The three Commanders remained behind.

The creatures of various races did the same and charged as well to meet the Brotherhood in the middle however they underestimated their enemy. Over half of the non-humans were impaled by naginatas, the rest were cut down by the members who had switched to their swords. Amongst the chaos, The main legion force launched a volley of arrows as the non-human numbers dwindled. Just as the arrows began raining down, many of the members grabbed the bodies of the fallen as well as those left alive and used them as shields greatly reducing the front.

Before long the Brotherhood began charging the main legion, Legionaries laughed at the Brotherhood's futile attempts and formed a wall of shields. Those mounted on horseback went around in effort the flank Brotherhood Members in a pincer maneuver and catch them off guard. They also launched another volley of arrows but this time the arrows were blocked by a shield of some sort. Magic? The Legionaries stopped laughing as the Brotherhood members were now enclosing on the wall.

Pikemen behind the shields thrusted their spears once they were in ranged but were shocked when their enemies jumped at a height of 15-feet and over the wall of shields with swords ready to swing. This was when the majority of legionaries realized they weren't up against just any regular army, they were up against Mages trained in the art of swordsmanship. The sudden realization disoriented the legionary ranks allowing the Brotherhood a brief element of surprise. As the Calvary charged into Brotherhood flanks, their horses were cut down before the men on horseback could pass their enemy. The Brotherhood members would swing faster than Legionary reactions. The enhanced blades of the Brotherhood cut through the shields and swords of many legionaries.

Yuki and the other two Commanders watched the battle unfold from their original positions. The sounds of clinging, clanging, clashing, death cries, and all out war filled the quiet night. However, Yuki spotted something in the sky, a black shadow zipping through the air. Dragons, more specifically Wyverns. Once they arrived, the Wyverns would swoop down on Brotherhood members taking a bunch up as they flew back up. This was the real threat.

Yuki turned to her fellow Commanders who all nodded in agreement before rushing in to take on the Wyverns. By the time they reached the battle grounds, Order Members have started jumping at the Wyverns only to be smacked back down or bitten. Seeing one of these Wyverns peering at her, she jumped towards it just as it swooped down only to be caught within it's jaws. Her head in it's mouth, Yuki felt a crack on her body; The Dragon's bite broke her armor.

The Dragon then halted it's flight path and hovered for a brief moment before throwing Yuki up in the air and attempting to bite her again but just as the Wyvern snapped at Yuki she utilized her spiritual energy. She became ethereal allowing herself to phase through the Dragon and descend downward.

Once she phased through the dragon, she deactivated her ability and grabbed on to the claw of the Wyvern's hind leg. Tossing her sword aside, it dissolved into streams of wisps before climbing up the to the Wyvern's back. Upon reach the backside, she found a saddle and a legionary rider. The Rider then drew a dagger and attack Yuki, Big mistake. Yuki swept the Rider's leg with a kick causing him to slip and fall off the side to his doom.

Yuki turned to see the field from above only to see a massive battle below. With the Wyverns around, the Rebels were holding out, "Sonavabitch!" Yuki cursed. She didn't like how this turned out. She pulled out a mini radio from her side pouch, "This is Commander Yuki to any Brotherhood personal, do you read?!" She called as she reached the saddle of the Wyvern then proceeded to commandeer the dragon.

The radio picked up on the other end, _[Commander Yuki, This is Naval Captain Freeman of the BNV No man's sky Aircraft Carrier, We read you.]_ a voice on the other end answered.

Relieved, Yuki sighed, "Naval Captain Freeman, I'm requesting immediate air support. Enemy Rebels have air support, I say again, Enemy Rebels have air support." She stated before taking her new "ride" for a spin. Using the Wyvern, she attacked the other riders and much to her surprise, these dragons were rather tame for them to attack their supposed allies.

 _[Copy that, Commander. Dispatching Two K-97 Kanata Interceptors, eta 3-4 minutes out. Callsign Angel. Over.]_ NC. Freeman responded and informed her of the support she was getting.

"Enemy Air is chewing us up! Literally!" She commented before putting her radio away.

Moments come to pass and Yuki has duked it out with the other riders who were none to pleased and attempted to chase her down however they were cut down the Brotherhood Air Support and mistakenly shot Yuki's Wyvern down as well but luckily she ditched it before the dragon was hailed with bullets.

Upon landing, Yuki rolled to even out the impact. Getting up and dusting herself off, she scanned the field seeing bodies of dead legionaries, and non-human creatures alike, as well as her subordinates checking to see if there were any survivors. Splint sections of the enemy force decided it was better to retreat before they were killed off like much of their brethren. In all of the legionaries victories, they have never come across a foe this fierce in battle.

After briefly checking with her scattered subordinates, she went to find where her main force was. She found them on top of the enemy's hill, Those injured were separated from those that weren't, "So how we doing?" She asked approaching Commander Jarrus whom was looking after a member who was missing an arm and a leg.

Commander Jarrus turned to look and Yuki immediately noticing the damage on her body armor, "Did you get eaten and they spit you back out?" He sarcastically remarked.

Yuki narrowed her eyes and growled, "Can it, Jarrus!" she snapped unamused by the comment.

Jarrus looked away in response and back to the injured member, "More than a thousand got injured but as far as casualties, none were reported as of late. Thank God for armor" He said answering Yuki's earlier question pounding at his chest plate, "Most of them are missing limbs, damn dragons." he commented making a mention at the Wyverns.

Yuki looks around and the members from the three brigades were indeed missing limbs. Some arms, others legs, and even a few of them were missing both. Missing limbs wasn't a problem for ghosts because they can grow back and/or repaired as opposed to having the limitations of a physical body.

Commander Hanai approached the other two from another direction away from the main force, "Alright so-..." He stopped upon seeing Yuki, "...What happened to you?" he questioned staring at Yuki's shattered chest and back plates.

Yuki looked down at her chest plate and plucked out a piece, "I got bit by one of those western dragons. The Bite was strong enough to break the Outer Plate of my armor, it's teeth were sharp enough the tear through the soft bodyarmor, however it was the inner plates that saved my life." she explains while also digging into the bite mark of the Wyvern.

"Was it luck or fate?" Hanai commented smugly.

"Meh, somewhere in the middle." Yuki answered shrugging her shoulders. Using her hand, she points an open hand to Jarrus, "So Jarrus filled me in on something so now it's your turn." she says before turning to Commander Hanai.

"Oh! Right!" Hanai says remembering something, "You should come see this." He said pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

Yuki nodded in acknowledgement, "Jarrus, you're coming too." she said tapping his shoulder. His response was to get up and follow in behind Yuki after finishing up with the member he was looking after.

After another brief hike, following the tracks of the fleeing legionaries, they came across a set of bushes. Going inside, they found themselves inside a makeshift outpost. Hanai then directed the other Commanders to the far end of the outpost where a group of 5 modern soldiers were positioned. Hanai had used his spiritual sensory abilities to detect friendlies in the area and found this outpost.

"Rangers?" Yuki questioned. It was rather odd to see them, especially now. Normally, Brotherhood Rangers were taken to the mountains and often used as scouts but to see them on overwatch was another thing entirely.

"Ma'am." One of the Rangers acknowledged. The Ranger in question was none other than Mintah.

 ***Dsh*** The sound of a rifle went off, "37 Legionaries release from their torment, the rest are keeping their heads heads down." One of the other Rangers commented. This one had his rifle tucked into his shoulder and his eye peering through the scope of his gun, infrared turned on. At the back of his full brimmed hat read "Conkor".

Yuki held out her hand, One of the Rangers handed her some binoculars, across his chest plate read "Hekler". Yuki saw over dozens legionaries littering the field ahead and she could clearly see some hiding behind hills on their bellies.

She continued to scan until she noticed a large encampment far off in the distance, "That the rebel base?" she asked.

"Looks like we got runner." One of the Rangers said before answering Yuki. She was identified as "Gavin". Yuki turned to look and saw a helmetless legionary running towards the encampment.

"We'll never be able to get him, he's already out of range." Mintah commented peering through the scope of his rifle.

At this point, Yuki bend down and picked up one of the Ranger's Rifle. The design was that of a Bullpup, such a design would have the magazine clip in behind the trigger mechanism allowing extra barrel length inside the gun's receiver. The rifle she picked up was the Evolutionary Marksmen Assault Rifle no. 2, ver. 3, or rather the "E-MAR 23". Looking down the sights she took aim and watched the legionary sprint past the encampment entrance and towards the entrance of a large cave.

The Rangers all watched the man ran for his life, "Ma'am?" Hekler called. No answer, just a deep breath from Yuki.

 ***Click*** Yuki pulled the trigger. ***BOOM*** A shot rang out louder than usual and the recoil pushed Yuki back. The bullet left the chamber leaving behind a trail of wisps however the trail was much stronger, almost as if a bright laser was pointed. The round travelled further then the rifle would allow and just at the Legionary reached the mouth of the cave his head bursted in a splatter of blood, he dropped and fell in the cave.

No words were spoken, the Rangers were speechless. They knew Order Members could enhance their weapons, they they never thought it could be done with guns too. Everyone looked to Yuki whom already had he rifle lowered, "Dayum." The fifth and final Ranger commented aloud. This Ranger's name was "Cavlyn" as written on her boonie hat.

Yuki handed back Cavlyn her E-MAR before returning to peering through the binoculars. She looked contempt as she scanned the defenses of the encampment and took into consideration that the cave could a heavier legion presence.

Jarrus and Hanai both had binoculars and they too looked over the encampment. The Rangers however continued to pick off pinned Legionaries as they got up.

Yuki scoffed, "Fuck it~." she blatantly stated.

Confused, the Rangers looked over, "Fuck...what?" Conkor questioned.

"I'm calling it." Yuki answered reaching for her radio, the Rangers looked amongst themselves confused, "Commander Yuki to Angel, Do you read?" Yuki called shortly after pulling out radio.

"Angel 5-6, what do you need?" The radio answered. It was the Brotherhood Aircraft that gunned down the Wyverns.

"What's your payload?" Yuki asked.

The Radio fell silent for a moment before the pilot answered, "We are loaded for bear. Command wanted to make sure you weren't up against enemy armor." the pilot explained. Likely the payload was meant for Guardian armored vehicles but regardless they had firepower ready for use.

"Good, very good." Grinning, Yuki was ready to put those armaments to work. Peering back through the binoculars, Yuki held down a button turning on the internal optics, "Requesting JDAM, 7-800 meters, from my current position. Target marked via designator, how copy?" She radioed. Joint Direct Attack Munition, JDAM was a kit installed in "unguided" free falling bombs and turns them into "smart" ordinance that used GPS to hit it's target. When dropped from aircraft, a bomb installed with a JDAM would track it's target area and actively adjust itself accordingly regardless of weather.

"Solid copy, Swooping for a pass." The radio sounded. Minutes come to pass before the air erupted with the sound of a jet engine.

The roaring grew loud and briefly flew over. Nobody see it coming but despite the darkness, twin fires zipped by. ***BOOM*** Half the encampment outside the cave was reduced to rubble.

"Good hit, good hit, Angel 5-6." Yuki praised looking at smoke stack through the NV binoculars, "Requesting another strike, over."

Once more the Rangers looked amongst themselves, "Don't you think that's overkill, Ma'am?" Gavin asked.

"Angel 5-7, Tell me where to drop them." The Radio answered. It was the other Katana pilot.

Yuki grinned upon the pilot finished talking. Hearing his eagerness put a smile on Yuki's face, "Target marked via designator, awaiting fireworks." she said pressing the button once more.

Again, the sky roared as the Jet engines flew over heard. ***BOOM*** The other half of the encampment was now gone. All eyes were now looking at the encampment, or rather what was left of it.

Once the smoke had cleared, what was left is rubble and two craters. The Aircraft Pair flew over to confirm each strike hit their mark, "Angel 5-6, We are RTB, Over." The Lead pilot radioed. Enemy aircraft was dealt with and their encampment was gone, the Kanatas were no longer needed.

"Thanks for the support, Angels, Commander Yuki out." Yuki acknowledged. Handing back the binoculars and putting her mini radio away, Yuki glanced over to her fellow Commanders before looking forward and stepping out of the makeshift outpost, "Rangers, Jarrus on me. Hanai bring the front." She ordered with a cold tone. Yuki was going to inspect the ruin encampment ahead of the main force. The Rangers looked to each other one last time before nodding. Order Members had authority over Soldiers and often acted at superior officers.

Getting up from their entrenchment, The Rangers picked up their rifles and began following in behind Jarrus and Yuki, "I guess that why they call her Burning Snow." Hekler muttered quietly mentioning Yuki's personality. Yuki's reputation perceives her.

Hekler was then smacked upside the head, "Shut up, man! She'll hear you!" Cavlyn whispered.

Whatever what was left of the Rebels fled, either away from the encampment or back inside the cave before their outside fortifications blew to bits. They were a 7-man team going to secure a unknown base with more enemies hiding elsewhere, as stupid as that sounds it was just enough. Brotherhood Rangers were modeled after the US Army Rangers, added they had extra training given to them by Order Members and how to deal with enemy Order Members.

 **Ruined Camp**

A lone survivor manages to push the rubble off his body gasping for air. Ears still ringing and in pain, he laid there looking up at the night sky. To think the Gods had damned him and his fellow soldiers for entering into such a world. The last thing he remembered was sleeping before the roars of the sky awoke him, just as he went outside his tent to see what was happening, then the Gods struck his camp reducing it to rubble. Now, not being able to move he continued to lay there in pain but before he could call out to his allies, there was some other individuals in the area he did not recognize.

Yuki and her team arrived at the legionary encampment, or at least where the main entrance was. There was nothing but a field of debris and several bodies of various races including human. Yuki turned back to face her team, "Secure the area. Find any survivors, bring them to me." She ordered. Sure they can handle themselves in a fight but even the very best can fall prey to an ambush.

"Yes Ma'am." The Rangers all acknowledged in unison. Hekler, Gavin, Mintah, Cavlyn, and Conkor went their separate ways throughout the ruined camp while Yuki and Jarrus went towards the mouth of the cave.

Not far from the encampment, on the opposite side of the Brotherhood overwatch position, another group of scouts lay camouflaged in between bushes. These scouts wore distinctive armor with a green woodland pattern and odd helmets with cap visors, also their faces were covered by the helmet they wore. They were down low with rifles pointed at the legionary encampment. The scouts weren't Brotherhood, they weren't legionaries either, so who were they? It would seem the Brotherhood weren't he only ones to pick up on the strange energy, Being close to the Guardian Mainland, They were Guardian Scouts sent to Neutra Mainland to investigate the Life Energy.

"Damn, those Romans never stood a chance." One of the scouts said through his helmet in an electronic tone. The Scouts watched as Brotherhood went about the ruined camp, needless to say they enjoyed the fireworks from before.

This was followed by a laugh from another scout, "You can say that again." he commented.

A third scout started peering through his scope and switched to thermals. He saw something in the mouth of the cave moving about, "Sir, we're picking up activity in the cave." he stated alerting his comrades.

The scouts then reacted by looking through their scopes as well. After a brief moment, they saw a large creature heading to the mouth, "It's just one of those Orc-looking things." The Lead Scout said. Unlike his fellow scouts, this particular scout had a red stripe and markings on his armor. Flicking a switch, he shouldered his rifle and held the trigger down, the rifle began charging.

"What're you doing?!" One of the scouts questioned with a loud whisper, "We aren't suppose to be here, remember?" he had a point. If Guardian presence was on the Brotherhood-controlled mainland, it would only complicate politics between the two factions.

Narrowing his eyes, the Lead Scout focused his crosshairs on the large creature, "Yes well, I prefer to be doing something besides overwatch." He answered his subordinate without taking his eye off the creature, "Just be sure to look after the men once I'm executed." he told the other.

"No way, we're in this together, we're dying together." The questioning scout replied. He was clearly loyal to his superior to the point where he'd take after the Insubordination from High Command, "You aren't getting rid of us that easily." He defended shouldering his rifle too. The other scouts followed suit.

Back down at the camp, Yuki and Jarrus inspected the ruins. Wood, Cloth, Steel, Leather, it was rather medieval for just any "rebels". Jarrus, like the others went to check to see if anyone managed to survive a strike like that but with no luck.

Yuki went to pick up a sword near her feet, the sword wasn't mangled by the blast of the airstrike. Drawing it from it's sheath, she began inspecting it. It was quite remarkable for something so medieval, to say the least. The metal was high quality, for a sword considered primitive it was surprisingly well made, unlike the armor of the Legionaries.

"Yuki!" Jarrus' voice rang out. Yuki turned to respond seeing him with a shocked expression.

Before Yuki could react in any way, upon looking at Jarrus, Yuki received a swiping kick from a massive leg. The kick slammed against her chest down to her thighs and sent her flying against the rocky walls beside cave. She impacted the wall damaging her armor a lot more and she slumped over to the ground becoming unconscious.

Seeing Yuki receive such a kick from a massive creature, Jarrus materialized his sword, "Damn!" he cried. Just as he prepared himself with a combat stance, the creature roared and started to charge at Jarrus. Jarrus in turn, cried a war cry and began preparing a counter attack.

Once the large creature was halfway a beam of blue zipped through the Creature's head. It bobbed it's head before crashing under it's own weight. Jarrus used an ability referred to as Ghost's Step to escape the creature's crashing route, appearing in the way about to be crushed then immediately appearing beside it as it hit the ground.

Approaching it, Jarrus jabbed the tip of it's sword into the ribs to confirm it was dead, "The hell?" he question taking a closer look at the hole in it's head. The flesh was burnt around the hole, likely from an energy-directed weapon.

Shortly afterwards, the Rangers ran over to see what the commotion was about. They only heard Jarrus' scream and a large creature but nothing else. Cavlyn was the first to arrive, "Shit, that thing is huge." she commented while cautiously approaching it's head, weapon held closely.

Yuki, whom was just regaining consciousness, staggered to her feet before groaning. She didn't look impressed or amused, in fact quite the opposite, she held a very serious expression. She didn't like how she was caught off guard.

"Ooo~." Cavlyn toned as the other Rangers arrived, "She is pissed~." she chuckled as Yuki approached the dead creature.

The Ranger, Mintah was the last to arrive but suddenly tripped over a body, (Ah!) sounded an unfamiliar voice. The body Mintah tripped over began squirming away. It was a legionary that managed to survive the airstrike, though not without sustaining injuries. The Legionary was riddled with splinters on his arms and legs, he also was impaled by a fairly large piece of wood to his calf.

Mintah was quick to recover getting to his knees, leaving his rifle where it landed, and immediately grabbed to individual just before he started crawling away, "Ma'am! Got a live one over here!" Mintah called using to person to his feet. The Ranger then pulled his knife from it's sheath and held it against the back of the Legionary's neck as a threat.

The Legionary stopped squirming and began showing signs of compliance, (Please don't kill me.) he said in his native language to which Mintah frowned in response not understanding him. Two other Rangers; Gavin and Hekler, approached the Legionary with weapon barrels pointed at him.

Yuki growled, "Bring him over here!" she ordered with a fierce tone. You didn't need to look at her to feel a fire burning inside her.

Mintah and Hekler acknowledged and dragged the Legionary over by his collar over the rubble taking on more splinters. The Legionary grunted in pain as he was dragged across a short distance. Upon being thrown at the feet of Yuki, he looked up and immediately saw her cold piercing eyes, (I-I didn't do anything wrong...) he said in his defense.

Yuki merely scoffed at his response, "Where do you come from?" she asked, almost in a demanding demeanor.

The Legionary looked confused, this was something unprecedented he and his army didn't account for. He retorted to lowering his as if treating Yuki as a master, (P-please, I-I was only following orders.) he told her nervously.

Yuki frowned, her patience was being tested, "He doesn't speak english." she commented pinching the bridge of her nose, she clearly wasn't having any of it.

Everyone included Jarrus laughed at the comment. English was the spoken language of the Spiritual Realm despite having various languages and dialects.

The laughs made the Legionary uneasy, believing they were laughing at his weak and feeble surrender, (Show mercy! I'll become your slave, I'll do anything! Please don't kill me.) he pleaded but Yuki's patience was waning down.

Yuki knelt down to the Legionary at face level looking none too pleased, "Talk." she told him frustrated with the situation already.

The Legionary looked confused yet again, (W-what? I don't understand. I-I d-don't what you're saying.) he responded frantically.

Yuki frowned once more and stood up gritting her teeth, "English MOTHAFUCKA! Do you speak it!?" she shouted in a questioning nature. Obviously she was fed up at this point.

The Legionary was suddenly taken back but continued speaking anyways, (Huh? I can't understand your tongue.) he admitted. Getting on his knees, he appeared to plead of his life.

Yuki took a deep sigh before speaking again and knelt down to level with the Legionary, "Listen, What country are you from?" She kindly asked with a soft voice as if she was working for airport check-in.

(What?) The Legionary questioned clearly dumbfounded.

Yuki's soft smile suddenly became fierce with rage, "( **What?** ) ain't a country I never heard of!" She told him angrily repeating the one word in his language as it was. The Legionary simply looked to the others around her, "They speak english in ( **What?** )? C'mon answer me!" Grabbing his collar to make sure his attention was on her, but when there was no response she threw him down and stood back up.

The Legionary in question was startled by Yuki's sudden outburst and remained quiet. Yuki then rolled her eyes seeing how she wasn't going far with the Legionary so she walked over to one of the Rangers, pulled out their sidearm, walk back over to the Legionary. ***Bang*** The Legionary dropped dead from a headshot. Yuki then positioned herself over the body and put a several more rounds into it's head. ***Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang***

Everyone had turned their head away from the sight. Everyone heard the tales of Burning Snow being a hardass but to see it in person was a whole other experience.

Moments come to pass before a group of green armored individuals arrived slowly making their way towards the Brotherhood positions, "Oi! Scout Troopers!" Gavin called lifting her rifle. These particular Guardian Troopers were called as such because of their resemblance to the actual Scout Trooper. Upon hearing her, the others followed suit and pointed their weapons too. Jarrus drew his sword but Yuki however did not, she knew for a fact how capable Guardian Troopers were.

"Relax." Yuki casually ordered. If the Guardians wanted them dead, they would be already and they wouldn't seen it coming. Yuki then approached the Guardian "Scout" troopers taking notice that none of them had their weapons pointed, they didn't even have their weapons turned on, "I suppose this is where we thank you? It's gonna take a lot more than that." She calmly told them.

"You're welcome." The Scout trooper with red stripes responded. Normally, the Guardians and the Brotherhood would have shot each other by now but the Brotherhood has signed a Ceasefire between the Assassins and Guardians preventing any fighting as of late.

Following in behind Yuki, Jarrus stepped beside the Commander, "What're you Scout Troopers doing here? This is Brotherhood Territory." He said to them, Katana in hand ready to strike if any one of them tried any thing. Order Members were more than a match for Troopers. Much like Brotherhood soldiers, Guardian troopers were beneath them.

One of the Scout troopers stepped forward to square up against Jarrus, "We're here for the same reason as you." he told the Commander getting in his face. Jarrus merely stared at his reflection in the Trooper's Eye Visor. Despite the ceasefire, there was still some friction and obviously both sides wanted the other to violate the ceasefire, as to be expected.

Yuki pondered the thought before being hit with the realization, "The Cave." she said to which the lead Scout Trooper nodded.

Silence befell the two groups shortly afterwards. It was just as was said in the 1st Division's Officer Meeting, If the Brotherhood was detecting something strange then it was a matter of time before the other Two Factions detect it as well. The Neutra Mainland being so close to the Guardian Mainland, It was enviable for them to send their own forces but to send troops into now Brotherhood-Control was a bold and dangerous move.

The Lead Scout and Yuki stared at each other with a common understanding before one of them nodded and the other acknowledged. Both leaders turned to the Cave and walked towards it, "Let's move." Yuki told her men and the Lead Scout simply gestured to "regroup" by twirling around hand with two pointed fingers to the sky as well as activating their weapons.

The two groups descended down a steep hill before reaching what appears to be an another encampment, or at least the reminder of one. Almost every tent was taken down hastily almost as if it's occupants left in a rush. At the far end of the Cave, there stood a massive structure carved from stone, it's doors open and dozens of legionaries at it's entrance.

Conkor seemed stunned by the structure at he far end, "Whoa, what is that?" he questioned.

The legionaries were no more than 200-300 meters from the other side of the Cave before they realized the two groups were not their own. Their response was to send a barrage of arrows.

The arrows impaled the two groups save for Yuki and Jarrus whom had used their personal energy to briefly create a shield. The Troopers and Soldiers weren't as lucky; Hekler and Gavin were struck in the face instantly killing them, Conkor was struck with the most arrows, Mintah and Cavlyn were only hit in the armor plates, The Scout Troopers merely recoiled back from the impacts but one of them fell over dead because an arrow struck his neck.

There was a pause in the barrage before Yuki reached for Hekler's rifle seeing how he wasn't going to use it anymore, "Kill 'em all!" Yuki ordered before firing the rifle in automatic.

The Scout Troopers recovered first and opened fire as instructed sending bolts of blue light onto the bundle of legionaries piling up to retreat back through the gate. Those in front absorbed most of the rounds and bolts as the reminder of the two groups opened on them.

The short engagement lasted for about ten minutes straight before most of the legionaries were killed, the rest fled back beyond the GATE. None of them stood a chance. The Brotherhood Groups had emptied all their magazines and the Guardians spent their Energy Packs. Both Cavlyn and Mintah went to check on their fallen comrades while the Guardians went to check on the dead of the legionaries. Three Rangers were KIA at the end of it, including One Scout Trooper.

Yuki stood there, rifle in hand, looking at the GATE with it's open door. She had a feeling, a strong feeling, that she was going to go through. She couldn't explain it but the Spiritual Realm always worked like that.

One of the Scout Troopers approached Yuki removing his helmet. A clear visible scar cut downward through his left eye, "Ma'am, more survivors. Should we kill them too?" he asked, without the helmet to muffle his voice, he spoke with an odd tone of respect. The surviving legionaries were rounded up into a pile with the Scout Troopers watching them closely.

Yuki turned to get a better look at the Trooper and the scar showed that he was Veteran having engaged the Brotherhood or Assassins more than once, maybe even both. Yuki shook her head in response to the Trooper, "No, not these ones. They'll tell us everything we need to know." She told him. The Trooper nodded and head back over to his team. As he walked away, Yuki then noticed it was he same Trooper that squared up against Jarrus. She pause for but a moment then decided to head back outside to see if Commander Hanai had arrived.

 **The Next Day**

16 hours have passed since the engagement and the Brotherhood have already began clearly up the rubble and started setting up their own encampment. The 3 Brigades organized all the wood, metal, leather, and bodies alike. The Brotherhood Military had already arrived and began construction of an outpost starting with fortified buildings that were to serve at command posts and other essentials.

Yuki sat on a camping chair holding three tags belonging to Hekler, Gavin, and Conkor. Burials weren't a thing in the Spiritual Realm, just as Physical Bodies turn to dust, Spiritual Bodies dissolve into particles. The three dead rangers had already dissolved as well as the one dead trooper.

Yuki remained deep in thought until into she noticed Jarrus approaching her, "Ma'am, Most of these Legionaries appear to be a mix of Latin and European." He said to her informing her of the nationalities amongst the human legionaries but he made it clear the the features of the two were blended.

Yuki leaned back in her chair looking unamused, "Wow, Racist much?" She added taking a jab at Jarrus.

"No Ma'am." Jarrus assured defensively, "Just making an observation." he clarified.

Yuki acknowledged with a nod before looking to the piles of enemy bodies the Brotherhood made, mainly the Humans and Non-Humans. Soldiers gathered around them holding torches, ready to light the bodies aflame. The Physical Bodies aren't suppose to be in the Spiritual Realm but it's not like they can be buried either, so the best option was to burn them so that the ashes can dissolve in the air.

"Do you think this GATE opens into the Roman days of the Living World?" Yuki asked Jarrus then turned to the bodies of the Wyverns, though the answer was self explanatory it was rather something to think about.

"No Ma'am. We've begun interrogating the survivors and they speak a dialect we do not understand, as you could tell from yesterday." Jarrus answered following Yuki's direction she faced, "The Ghost Brotherhood has been around for a long time, we would've understood them by now. However their dialect is almost parallel with ancient Greek with a mix Latin." he answered looking at the pile of Wyverns too.

Seeing the Dawn creeping up on the horizon, Yuki pulled out a pair of shades, "Hmm, interesting." she acknowledged putting on the prescription sunglasses.

Jarrus grinned in response, "Damn rights. 3rd, 4th, and 5th Division are already working with the survivors to formulate a basic translation booklet." He explained.

Just before Yuki could speak, a white VTOL appeared out of nowhere and landed not far from the soon-to-be Brotherhood encampment. A shield insignia can be seen on the hull of the VTOL as a pair of the same Scout Troopers from before approached it to open it's side hatch.

Yuki watched as an Officer dressed in a shiny pure white royal outfit with a long coat stepped out of the VTOL, "More Guardians?" she asked. Jarrus nodded in response.

"Good morning, High Chancellor Armalec." One of the Scout Troopers greeted before both knelt down with heads lowered, this was the Guardian equivalent to a salute.

The High Chancellor said a few words out of earshot before the Scouts stood back up. Seconds later, an Officer arrived, this Officer was dressed in a greenish uniform and trench coat with the insignia of a Spades, He was a Brotherhood High Ranking Officer. The Two exchanged words before they started heading towards Yuki's position.

With all that's been going on, Yuki became a part of a meeting regarding the GATE they had found. Those involved are; The Brotherhood Marshal, the officer Yuki was in contact with, Colonel Hyuka, Yuki herself, The Lead Scout from before, and the Officer that sent the Guardian in the first place; The High Chancellor. The Officers were set up in a tent discussing the GATE found inside the cave.

The High Chancellor lead the majority of the talks, "It's simple. I want a Guardian/Brotherhood Coalition for when you go through the GATE. We've already signed the Ceasefire so why not take it a step forward?" Armalec explained. Of course, since the Guardians had helped with the enemy legionaries, they would want some form of compensation for their efforts.

Colonel Hyuka, who was in ethereal form, looked unsure by the High Chancellor's words, "What's your end goal?" Hyuka asked. Having dealt with politicians in the Living World as well as dealing with Guardians and Assassins, There was always an end goal.

The High Chancellor looked puzzled, "There is no end goal." he admitted though he didn't exactly sound genuine.

The Brotherhood Marshal simply scoffed at the remark, "But how can we trust you?" he questioned. The Guardians were well-known to be deceivers and backstabbers, often using carefully planned tactics to blindside their enemies.

"You just have to." Armalec answered drawing an energy pistol to which Yuki and the Marshall drew their weapons as well. The Lead Scout cautiously stood back, "The only ones who have their weapons pointed anywhere are YOU, we have to be on our best behavior if we want to live. In hindsight, we are trusting you NOT to kill us." The High Chancellor explained while placing his energy pistol on the meeting table as a sign of good faith.

The Marshal holstered his weapon but Yuki however did not, "Say if we did allow this "half-assed" coalition, what would YOU want out of this." she asked. Having lowered her weapon but did not take her finger off the trigger as a safety precaution.

The High Chancellor smiled softly in response, "Nothing. You see, I'm going to give you a company or two under the commanding officer going through." He told the Brotherhood Officers, "They can use them as they see fit, however I do ask that they do not be kill by you other any other Ghost Personal." He added.

The Room fell quiet shortly afterwards with the officers looking amongst each other. Both Hyuka and the Marshal stared at each other unsure how to proceed. Yuki and the Lead Scout looked to each other to which one of them looked confused and the other simply shrugged.

"I don't expect you to trust us but we are trusting you a great deal." Armalec spoke up breaking the uneasy silence, "Besides, Once through communications will be hindered between worlds, cooperation is key." He had a point. Much like the Living World and he Spiritual Realm, Communication will be severely limited but there's no telling how severe.

Yuki noticed a smirk on the High Chancellor's face, "You smug bastard, you're using the ceasefire as an excuse." She stated gritting her teeth before aiming down the sights of her gun in hand.

The Marshal immediately lowered Yuki's weapon but before he could speak, Hyuka spoke first, "You're out of line, Yuki. Shut up!" The Colonel snapped. Yuki flinched and remained quiet for the duration of the meeting, the Colonel also picked up on the sudden outburst and noticed what Yuki picked up on, "Well played, High Chancellor. Well Played." Hyuka acknowledged.

The High Chancellor gave a slight bow in respect as a sign of acknowledgement. Using the Ceasefire as cause for Guardian collaboration was apparent and Armalec had this planned out before he arrived, now that it was noticed he took to grinning. The Guardians have the best Tacticians in their ranks often outsmarting their enemies and plan far ahead before executing it, of course that goes without saying that there were always variables to include for the Guardian Tacticians to plan around.

* * *

 **The more you know:**

 **K-97 "Katana" Interceptor - Developed by a Brotherhood innovator; Kashire Kamfere, The Kanata is a single-seat aircraft interceptor bearing a striking resemblance to the Su-47. The Katana underwent 9 drafts before construction and has went through 7 trial and errors before entering service, hence the 97. Much like the Katana, The K-97 is fast, sleek, and durable, however the aircraft does have it's flaws. The K-97 isn't a heavy hitter, it's sole purpose is mainly air-to-air engagements but sometimes it can function as a air-to-surface when it needs to be.**

 **Brotherhood "Scabbard" Transport - A modified version of the Brotherhood's Main air-to-surface Bomber/Gunship. It is equivalent to a C-130 Transport often used by Earth's Militaries world wide.**

 **Guardian Rank: High Chancellor - High Chancellors are the Second most High-Ranking Officer of the Guardians, The Rank is equivalent to a Brotherhood Colonel. Much like the Colonels, High Chancellors maintain several regions as well as commanding a sub-division within the Guardian Military.**

 **Ghost's Step - The Ghost's Step allows the user to phase to any surrounding area in a split second.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Just so you know, I'm developing the Org. Series Factions and their lore as I continue the story, I am also adding on to some with the Lore from my other Fics but mainly trying to divert what's there and introduce more as I go.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Some Context:_

Brotherhood Order Rank: Leader-Supreme - The "Rank" of Leader-Supreme is more of a title than an official rank, it can be recommended by officers of the Order but it is only granted by the Generals. It signifies an individual to be granted authority over all operations and ground troops for an extended period of time or unless revoked by the Generals. Only an Officer can be granted such a title and only on the rarest of occasions such a title can be granted.

* * *

 **Unknown Forest, Other side of the GATE**

Far out into a forest just northwest of the Imperial Capital, Piña, Hamilton, and Piña's Senior Knight Grey all made their way inward following a less-than-used trail. The further they went in, the darker it got until they finally reached a break in the trees revealing a house in the middle of the forest. The house was beaten and battered, aged with weather and time but a lantern was lit just outside the door indicating someone was home.

Hamilton did not like the area one bit, she found it eerie and creepy for the most part, "Why are we at a shady place like this?" she questioned feeling uneasy.

"Rumor has it, there is an old hag, a witch, that lives out here. It's been said that she is a Seer who has been exile by the Gods and to those who seek her out she will provide foresight." Piña explained casually sitting on her horse.

"Um...is she dangerous?" she asked cautiously.

"Very dangerous." Piña answered. The Princess then jumped off her horse and proceeded to the house, "Hamilton, Grey, I need you wait outside." she told her companions.

Grey also jumped from his house, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he questioned, in regard for the Princess' safety.

Just as Piña reached the door she turned to look at both of them, "I need you and Hamilton to keep watch." she told them. Both Grey and Hamilton nodded in acknowledgement allowing Piña to go inside.

If anything were to happened, Piña could handle herself, however she still needed to be cautious because she'd be up against a master of witchcraft and magic. As Piña entered the house she was met with a sight of an abundant goods spread across tables, shelves, and chairs.

"Oh ho ho!" The sound of a cackling cheer of a woman laughed, "If it isn't the Third Princess of the Empire; Piña Co Lada. I've been expecting you." She said.

"You have?" Piña asked as she in closer to the sound of the voice.

"Yes indeed." The voice acknowledged. Sitting on a chair dressed in a black robe, the voice was indeed a hag, she was what you'd expect from a hag. She had a wrinkly face, One eye popping out while the other appear squinting, the Hag also had a sharp pointed chin. The Hag then appeared to feel for something on the table she sat beside, "You have come seeking answers to questions you do not understand. You've had a vision to which you do not know what it means." she explained.

Piña looked shocked, just how the Hag knew what she was here for? Piña then opened her mouth to speak, "H-how-" she stopped, The Hag had rose her hand to prevent her from speaking.

"Here." The Hag said handing her a cup filled with a strange black liquid, "Drink, and that which has been clouded will clear itself and reveal what you seek." She told the Princess before chuckling to herself.

"What..." Piña trailed as she took the cup, "...what will I see?" she finished looking at the oozy substance. It had no odor but something about it seemed unnatural.

The Hag then grinned revealing crooked teeth and a few missing teeth, "Only what you bring with you." She answered before laughing like a typical Witch.

The laugh made Piña uneasy as it went on but nonetheless did as she was told and drank it all in one go. It had a terrible taste but before Piña could react she felt a strong pulse before her vision blackened.

Flashes of her dream appeared at a rapid pace; Ruler, General, Burning Snow, and the Silhouette standing over her. Her trance paused as the silhouette stood over her, " _...Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword..._ " the voice of a mature woman spoke. The dream played back and the woman swung at Piña again.

Piña went to react by attempting to block the swing but upon impact she found herself in an open field. She looked around trying to figure out where she was, "Where am I?" She asked herself but just as she recognized the area as the plains outside the Imperial Capital she gazed upon a city in smoke and ruins, "No..." she softly said. Her home was gone, engulfed in smoke, the city walls crumbled.

She fell to her knees then heard the skies roaring, the Gods seemed angry and just before she could plea to them she saw what could only be described as a sword, flying through the open air. The Imperial Wyvern Riders soon fell along with their dragons raining as the sky continue to roar.

Piña didn't want to see this so she got up and turned around only coming face-to-face with a carriage made of green iron, covered with armored shields. The Iron Carriage had a ballista resting on it and the Princess was looking directly into the hollow circular bolt. She froze for but a moment then jumped out of the way before the Carriage fired. The Bolt the Ballista fired exploded when it hit the ground, Piña was afraid. To have such firepower on par with the Gods was truly frightening.

Cowering behind a stump and covering her head, she then looked upon an Iron wingless creature but still somehow able to soar the skies. It was long and headless with two little wings, a stubby body with a long tail, just what was this thing Piña wondered. She curiously watched this thing fly, but she became more afraid when the creature became spitting arrows that exploded when they hit their target. Scared to death, The Princess was paralyzed from fear.

While the Piña was cowering, strange men in green cloth began searching the area, speaking in an unknown language. Piña heard them and as they drew closer to Piña's position, using what little strength she had left she got up and bolted. As she ran she heard loud bangs from behind her but she didn't bother looking and just ran as fast as she could.

She got a good distance away before her foot stumbled on a rock causing her to trip, "Ah!" she sounded before hitting the ground. When she hit the ground, everything fell quiet and when she recovered she found herself in a large hallway with great decorations.

Getting up, she cautiously looked around as she was still afraid from before., "Where am I now?" she asked before taking a look at the decorations. The Carpet was made from a strong fabric, unlike the ones from the Imperial Capital. The walls were also decorated with a smooth shining fabric, Piña went to feel it and found the fabric very nice, just what was this texture. She when to rub it on her face and found it even more nice, nicer than the fabrics on the Empire, then that's when it hit her, this wasn't any fabric; it was Silk. Unlike the silk the from the Imperial Capital, which was rare, this was far nicer and to see it an abundance of it along the walls, Piña was amazed. Placing a hand on the wall, it didn't feel like stone or marble. Piña knocked on it and realized the walls were made of metal. Just what kind of kingdom would be so rich to have silk decorations and metal walls, This was something Piña couldn't comprehend.

As Piña indulge herself she heard a knock which caught her attention only to see a door at the end of the hall, "Hello? Father? Hamilton?" she called before slowly and cautiously making her way towards the door. This was peculiar because that door wasn't there before when Piña looked around.

Arriving at the door she wondered what she might find on the other side but there was a strong urge to open it even though she didn't want to. Piña took a deep breath before opening the two doors in a single push, the light was blinding as she stepped out onto a balcony. Her eyes began to adjust and the light faded revealing people crowds of people down below. The balcony was overlooking a city, Piña was once more speechless. The crowd seemed infinite, they were on the ground, they were on top of tall buildings, they were on the hillside off in the distance. The crowd was cheering in unison and Piña was fortunate enough to gaze upon a sight. They looked as if they were cheering for her.

Footsteps could be heard from behind Piña and then she heard this, she was approached by a cloaked individual; a woman. Underneath the cloak, the woman wore a skin tight uniform, it uniform itself had armor plates visible on the chest, side body, and midriff. However, the most striking feature was a mask the cloaked woman wore underneath the hood. The Mask didn't have a mouth but the detailing made it look as if it had fangs, it also had two slits where the eyes would be, regardless the mask made the woman look very intimidating.

Piña stepped aside and allowed the masked woman to approach the balcony ledge, once there the woman held out both arms and rose them slowly as if to rise up the crowd. The Crowd itself grew wild and became chanting in unison, "Bruh-thaa-hood!" They cried. As the Crowd chanted, symbols of a strange looking tree appeared. It had a point with two half rounds at the bottom and a stalk in between the half rounds.

Piña could feel the ground shaking, she was about to freak out but then realized it was the crowd cheering and jumping. She stood here in amazement, however all that changed when the Mask Woman turned to look at Piña, She became frightened again. When the Mask Woman started to walk towards Piña, the Princess bolted back down the hall she came from.

As she ran, she trip once more and when she impacted the ground the scenery changed again. It went from quiet in the halls to loud chaos. Piña remained on the ground and looked around; "What's going on?!" she cried cowering where she laid. As she laid there, unknown soldiers in Black Armor charged past her and up a hill.

Her sight followed the soldiers, she saw a lone woman standing at the hill. The woman wore a what appeared to be a cloth corset covering the chest and midriff with strings wrapping around the shoulders, and strapped to her back was a banner, the symbol on the banner was none other than the odd tree from before. This was the apparent symbol of this "Bruhthahood". As the Soldiers in Black Armor approached the woman on top of the hill, they were immediately cut down by a curved sword.

As Piña watched this unfold, she took to noticing her eyes, "Those eyes..." she calmly said. The woman's eyes looks as it they were on fire, the burning gaze of a warrior, but they appeared as if they were cold. She then gasped in realization, the Woman she was looking at was the silhouette from her dreams. The woman eye's didn't glow but Piña felt they were the same pair of eyes as in her dream. The Princess continued to watch the woman defend the hilltop from an onslaught of enemies, unfazed with an unwavering confidence and determination. Piña couldn't help but be inspired, to stand unshaken against waves of enemies was something to admire but for how long could it last?

As Piña watched in awe, armored soldiers came around from the other side of the hill, coming in behind the woman all with the same symbol of the banner. The Battle was short lived because Piña's vision blackened before she could find out what happened next. Her vision came back to her and she found herself staring at the ceiling of the Hag's home laid out on the floor.

"Piña! Piña!" The sound if Hamilton's voice cried out echoing in Piña's ear as she regain consciousness. Hamilton was kneeling down beside the Princess and holding both her shoulders as one would shake someone awake.

Piña groaned as she brought herself up, "Huh?" she sounded as she slowly awoke.

"Good, you're awake." Grey stated in relief, he was standing next to Hamilton with his sword drawn and facing the door.

Hamilton then helped the Princess to her feet, "What happened?" Hamilton questioned, clearly concerned.

"Huh?" Confused, Piña then looked to Hamilton, "What happened to the...Old Hag?" Piña answered but noticed they were in an empty rundown house.

"Looks as if nobody lived here in years." Grey commented looking at the quality and age of the empty house, which was true. The Home's floorboards were on the verge of rotting, the walls were beginning to grow all kinds of flora. There was even a spot where the floor boards were gone and in it's place was soil and single sapling.

Piña took into account that what she saw differed from what her companions saw, "H-how long was I unconscious?" she asked looking to Hamilton almost in disbelief.

Both Hamilton and Grey looked to each other with concern, "Long enough, almost half the day." Grey answered.

"Half the day?!" Piña cried, "I-i-i-it can't be!"

"What do you remember Princess?" Hamilton asked.

"I came in, talked with the Old Hag and...and..." Piña replied before realizing something and paused.

"And what?" Grey spoke wanting to find out too.

Piña thought about it for a moment before speaking, "...my dream." she answered.

"Eh?" Hamilton sounded in disbelief.

" _Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword_." Piña recited to which Hamilton and Grey looked confused, "I...had a vision. It's hard to explain." she told her companions. This vision depicted a crumbling Empire with unknown forces responsible for it.

Both Hamilton and Grey didn't know how to response so they simply brushed it aside because there were more pressing concerns, "Well, We should head back before we're gone too long." Grey told the Princess.

"R-right." Piña acknowledged with a nod.

Eventually the three left the house and headed back towards the way they came. As they headed back down the trail a lone figured watch them leave, the figure was transparent almost ethereal in nature. Otherworldly figure smiled knowing full well what is to come, the "Hag" never officially existed but the nature behind the foresight was real.

 **Spiritual Realm, Brotherhood Encampment**

A few days have passed and the Brotherhood and the Guardians were getting things underway regarding the GATE. Tensions between the two were always high and often times fights would break out and sometimes full on brawls but surprisingly nether of them killed the other. The Encampment was constructed but it was still going through some finalizing before it was completely finished, The Guardians held one side while the Brotherhood kept to the other. The separation in building color told which belong to which faction but what truly divided the factions was the main road leading inside the Cave and into the GATE.

The Three Commanders did their own work throughout the encampment; Commander Yuki saw to the Soldiers and making sure they were fit for combat, Commander Jarrus oversaw the encampment's logistics, and Commander Hanai was left with all the paperwork.

When Colonel Hyuka arrived, he took aside Yuki to inform her of the next step, going through the GATE and who was to be in charge. What wasn't there " _physically_ " but in he was there in " _ethereal_ " form.

Hyuka and Yuki were both inside the Command building. Yuki stood at attention while Hyuka directed the conversation, "Commander Yuki, I heard you did a wonderful job taking care of the Rebels..." He told her with a celebratory tone but trailed off.

"Thank you sir." Yuki replied holding her head up high.

"...but there is a problem." Hyuka finished. Yuki sounded a squeak in response because that's not what she was wanting to hear, "The GATE you discovered leads to another world, much like the one in Japan. Both Environments are almost similar." The Colonel explained referring to the GATE in Japan and the environment through that GATE.

Yuki eased off her attention and looked to Hyuka with concern, "Do you think they lead to the same world?" she cautiously asked.

Hyuka smiled proudly in response, "As a leading member in Japan's parliament, I had the liberty of looking over the incident in Ginza and as a Colonel in the Brotherhood I read the reports from your encounter. The " _Legionaries_ " and the " _Rebels_ " are the same so we can safely assume that they belong to the same faction. Also, both GATEs lead to the same world, if so we like to think." He explained taking out a piece of paper and drew three circles representing each world and connected them individually by line forming a triangle.

Yuki appeared intrigued by the representation of the drawing, "Now that there's a GATE in the Spirit Realm, it's only a matter of time before we can go through." she added.

"Right." The colonel acknowledged, "1st Division is already talking about who's going through. I threw in your name in the hat because you and the other two brigade Commanders made contact with these " _people_ "..." explaining by he trailed off again leaving room for Yuki to respond.

Confused, Yuki wanted clarification, "Sir? What're you suggesting?" she asked placing both hands on the table and leaned forward in a demanding stature.

"We believe you of all people should spearhead this operation." Hyuka admitted with a sly expression, "So, As of now, I hearby grant thee Yuki, the " _Leader-Supreme_ " title of all Brotherhood operations within the GATE. In the name of Brotherhood Lord Leo, You are now known as _Commander-Supreme Yuki_. Don't worry, the Generals already have approved of the recommendation."

Yuki froze. She didn't know what to say or how to respond. Did the Colonel just do what she thought she heard? It couldn't be, That title is only reserved for special occasions. There was no way Yuki would hold such a title.

Colonel Hyuka's ethereal form walked over to Yuki's side, "Be mindful, You'll be acting on behalf of the Brotherhood on our interests, however the Brotherhood won't be the only ones there." he said before approaching Yuki mentioning the JSDF and the Guardians in a subtle way.

Yuki slowly looked to Hyuka with nothing more than a stunned look. For someone to have lived through the Second Great War and survived, This was a matter of great honor but for Yuki this was something unprecedented. She was left damaged by The War and to place such a big burden on her, she didn't if she was even ready.

"Also..." Hyuka started, "...We had Guardian Scout Troopers go ahead of the Main Force. Their job is gathering intelligence, observing, and setting up Relay Comms throughout the region so we can maintain constant communication." he told her.

Upon hearing this, Yuki snapped out of her frozen state, "So the Guardians are coming with?" she once again cautiously asked.

"Yes, The High Chancellor wasn't wrong about leaving us in command of the companies coming along." Hyuka replied back though he seemed surprised, "Most of them are Veterans from the beginning of the War. They've come to respect their enemy." He added. Time has almost little meaning in the Spiritual Realm but for individuals that fought the first engagements of the Second Great War are considered Veterans on all sides.

"I see." Yuki said looking to the window, Guardian Troopers can be seen practicing formations through the window.

Hyuka then steps towards the door catching Yuki's attention, "When you're ready, Talk to the Marshal. He'll get you everything you need." he said to her to which she nods. Upon nodding, Hyuka's ethereal form vanishes and returns to his physical body.

With that, the newly ranked; Commander-Supreme walks out the door and heads off to find the Marshal who should be in the encampment somewhere.

 **Invasion Day**

Weeks come to pass and both the Brotherhood and the Guardians were ready to send their forces through the GATE as a coalition of sorts. The Guardians may or may not have an ulterior motive for sending their forces too but regardless it was to improve relations and hopefully end their squabbling of the Second Great War.

The Guardians had provided multiple ground vehicles; 10 T-2010 Transport Hover Trucks, 8 T-2012 Fast Scout Vehicles, 6 T-2210 " _Conqueror_ " Tanks, 4 T-2410 Anti-Aircraft Vehicles, aside from a multiple Platoons of Troopers, the equivalent size to a Regiment. They relatively had a smaller force than the Brotherhood but still large enough hold their own.

The Brotherhood on the other hand had a much more significant force than their Guardian counterparts, personal alone ranged in the hundreds, and yet despite having more personal, they've limited the amount of vehicles going through. The Brotherhood were sending a couple of Regiments, 8 " _Tortoise_ " Heavy Tanks, 16 " _Fatty_ " Scout Humvees, 10 " _Iffy_ " Stryker IFVs, 6 " _Sewing Machine_ " Anti-Aircraft Vehicles.

The Coalition Force filled a double lane line stretching from inside the cave to the highlands outside of the Brotherhood encampment. The Goal was to catch the enemy by surprise from the front and strike fast enough before they have time to react. Both Guardian and Brotherhood Vehicles were side-by-side with the main force following in behind.

The first on going to enter the GATE was none other than Burning Snow herself. Rather than wearing her 1st Division Samurai Armor, she opted to wear something more modern; A tactical Army Combat Uniform. The shirt and pants had a digital blackish grey urban camo, dark grey armor consisting of the Brotherhood standard Vest, Pauldrons, and Shin Guards. Yuki stood at the front staring back at the force going to engage first, The strike force consisted of Brotherhood and Guardian Anti-Air Vehicles, Scout Vehicles and several Platoons of Infantry.

There was no room for words, no room for heroics, just action. The Troopers and Soldiers stood casually beside the Scout Vehicles and the AA Vehicles and of course the silence did not make easier. The two respective factions look to each other like dogs peering at each other from across the street, assertive and attentive.

Yuki then put on her prescription shades before turning to face the GATE, "First Contact Force, Move out!" Yuki ordered with a wave towards a tunnel and started marching with the AA and infantry following behind. Being an Order Member, Yuki didn't have or need a firearm however she did have a combat knife clipped to her backside on her belt.

The Coalition Force walked through the tunnel and out into the light of the other side, The other end of the GATE was built into the side of a mountain, unlike the GATE in the Spiritual Realm. When Yuki first stepped on to the other side, she was expecting to see a different landscape with grass growing and tree off in the distance but instead she came face first into fortifications with pikes tied together forming a wall. There were three walls enclosing the GATE with towers peering above the wall for the archers and ballistas, ultimately it's a deathtrap for anyone coming through the GATE. Yuki however remained composed and simply smirked at the Legionaries feeble attempts at an ambush. The AAs would ripped through those pikes like a buzzsaw.

By the time the AA Vehicles arrived, the enemy legionaries began shouting and taking up positions on the towers readying their archers, crossbows, and ballistas. The AAs responded by turning their guns towards the towers while, still in formation, the soldiers and troopers pointed their weapons at each of the towers, some even went as far as taking out their Anti-Tank Launchers.

The Coalition Force stopped their advance, both sides were ready to start firing but for whatever reason everyone maintain weapon discipline. Moments later, a Legionary wearing decorated armor appeared just above the central wall, this was the Legate in charge of the forces around the GATE.

He had ordered his men not to fire on the enemy force, his tactic was the trap as much enemies he could before killing them. Legionaries then quickly surrounded the Coalition Force from behind on top of a ridge. The Legate chuckled with pride, (Have you barbarians any last words?) he asked. The Legate couldn't wait to check out those Iron Carriages once the enemy was killed.

Yuki pulled out a little note book and began looking for a proper response. After a brief moment she lowered the book and cleared her throat, ( **We come, We Talk**.) she replied with a severely broken language.

Confused, the Legate frowned. To speak in such a tribal style tongue and have carriages made of Iron, it was insulting, (Talk?) The Legate asked.

Hearing the word differently than what she said, Yuki wonder if the language had different word characters much like the Latin words, ( **Yes, Talk**.) Yuki replied looking earnest.

The Legate laughed at the barbaric response in his language, (You're talking with broken grammar.) He told Yuki at which all the legionaries laughed. It would seem that these invaders were no match for the Legionaries and their Empire.

( **Me no talk good**.) Yuki responded. The Legionaries laughed harder causing most of them to lower their weapons, they weren't even a threat.

Moments come to pass before the Legion order his men to lower their tones, (Cowards, you come before the might of the Empire and you now want to talk after seeing you are vastly out numbered.) He explained, (Lower your weapons and we'll talk.) he told Yuki showing restraint. If they were a real threat, the Legate would have already order his mento fire on the barbaric invaders.

Yuki didn't bother listening and responded accordingly, ( **Yes, Yes! We want talk.** ) she said with haste, playing the part of a lesser intelligent individual.

The Legate face palmed as if he couldn't get through to her until he spoke slowly and clearly for her to understand, (You, Come.) He told Yuki to approach the foot of the wall.

(Yes.) Yuki nodded before slowly walking over as the Legate had his men bring a wooden step ladder.

Once the Legate was on the ground, The Two leaders came face-to-face, (You tell, your men, to surrender, we let you live, as servants.) he explained to her as slowly as he could. Of course, this wasn't going to be the case, this was deception, there was going to be no surrender but deception cuts both ways.

As the Legate explained, Yuki nodded understanding every word but she knew better, The Brotherhood learned from Guardians tactics which were similar. Once he was done Yuki rose a finger, ( **One thing first, I say?** ) she kindly asked, the Legate nodded in response, "You're all going to die here." She told him. Somehow the Legate's face went from irritation to shock and disbelief like he knew what Yuki actually said and before he respond Yuki quick drew her knife and drove it into the bottom of the Legate's head thrusting upwards. She wasn't done just yet, she also drew her sidearm from it's thigh holster and unloaded the clip before the Legate hit the ground.

Everything fell quiet as the Legate hit the wall then to the ground and before the Legionaries could respond, the area exploded with gunfire, laser bolts, and rockets. * **BUURRRRRR~~~** * The Brotherhood AAs fired tearing through the Camp's fortification like a buzzsaw. * **Bzz, Bzz, Bzz, Bzz** " The Guardian AA fired on continuous laser beams, blasting through the wood like a hot knife through butter.

It wasn't long for the Coalition to break through the walls and start securing the area. After seeing their comrades get ripped around by an unknown force or get impaled by a beams of light, many of the Legionaries attempted to flee but they were killed by the "Boom Sticks" and the "Magic Rods" carried by the Brotherhood and Guardians. By the time half the Legionary Encampment was taken, Guardian Conquerors and Brotherhood Tortoises started rolling through the GATE along with more infantry.

The "smarter" Legionaries started to flee before the fighting erupted because these ones were on the other side. Off in the distance they could hear sounds which only could be described as hell. Many of them talked about the "magic" these barbarians were using, some even talked about the enemy which they said they weren't barbarians at all but a race of magicians sending their armies through the GATE from the world they invaded. As they got further and further away, some of them talk about leaving the Imperial Ranks and go into mercenary work, few of them laugh and chuckled about the idea of plundering defenseless settlements. Just when they were in clear, an electrical explosion erupted in between a group of 6. Onlookers watched this unfold just at the hills around started erupting with a series of small explosions causing the fleeing Legionaries to start running and scatter like cockroaches.

Up on the mountain side raised above the hills for an overwatch position, sat a line of Guardian Conquerors. The Conquerors hurled large bolts of plasma which exploded on impact, they would pick off any stragglers fleeing north from the Main Encampment. Meanwhile on the other side, the Legionaries fleeing south were chased down by the Brotherhood Tortoises. Those fleeing east, were gun down by the scout vehicles of both sides. Fleeing west was impossible because there stood a mountain range, crossing it wasn't possible.

The invasion had begun and first contact didn't last long. By the time the sun was setting, the Coalition had already began clearing the area around the GATE while bringing in supplies from the Spiritual Realm to build a Forward Operating Base. The FOB was going to be a simple large outpost and nothing permanent, Brotherhood and Guardian Engineers had already placed sandbags and dug trenches for the vehicles while most of the personal began cleaning the bodies and rubble alike.

Commander-Supreme Yuki stood amongst the rubble looking around at the damage done. There were no heroics, no glory, and no pride. Wearing her shades with the sun reflecting off the lens, Yuki sighed as she reached down to move the arm of a dead Legionary and caught a glimpse of gold ring on a finger, She paused for a moment and thought about the Point of View of these Legionaries before they died. She shook her head after realizing that they were following orders just as she was.

Just as she stood back up, a pair of Guardian Troopers approached her, "Ma'am, We had an inquire." one of them asked.

Yuki turned to look at them, "What the hell do you _Storm Troopers_ want?" she asked sounding irritated by their presence. While the Regular Guardian Troopers didn't resemble the Imperial Storm Troopers in the slightest, they were often called them because of their White Armor and Sheer Numbers. The Title was meant as more of an insult.

The Troopers looked to each other in response to the insult, "What do we do with the prisoners?" The other Trooper asked, "We rounded up the survivors from First Contact." he explained lowering his weapon and pointed over his shoulder, sure enough there were a dozen or so Imperial Legionaries being rounded up and guarded by the Guardians with many of them injured in some way.

Yuki looked over the Legionaries, some of them looked down and depressed likely from the defeat they just suffered. She scanned the survivors before looking back to the Guardian Troopers, "Normally, I would've had them killed but since you went to a great deal of making sure they survived, you'll be in charge of them." She explained to them leaving the Guardians in charge of the enemy survivors.

The Troopers look to each other, despite their faceless helmets they appeared surprised, "Uh...Ma'am?" one of them finally asked questioning the nature of Commander-Supreme, as it was unlike her.

"Is that ok?" The other Trooper questioned.

Yuki rose an eyebrow and placed both hands on her hips, "Do you even? Go!" she ordered pointing to the surviving Legionaries.

"Yes Ma'am." The Troopers acknowledged and saluted in Guardian Nature before heading off.

As the walked off, Yuki sighed, "I need a coffee." she commented as she went towards a large tent where a group of soldiers were making the canteen.

* * *

 **The more you know:**

 **Brotherhood Standard Vest - The Standard Body Armor for the Order and Military of the Brotherhood. It consists of 3 types of Armor; The Inner Plate, which is placed inside the Vest. The Soft Body Armor, which is a steel and kevlar woven Plate Carrier. The Outer Plates, Reinforced Plates often hooked and looped on the outside of the Plate Carrier for extra armor.**

 **Type 2010 Transport - The T-2010 transport is often used as a hover truck with an open box. It's maximum capabilities are comparable to a modern Semi-Truck hauling heavy loads of Guardian Goods and Munitions. It's truck box can also be modified for an encased storage that can easily be used as an APC or ICV.**

 **Type 2012 Fast Scout - The T-2012 is a smaller version of the T-2010, It is considered a Gun-Truck by many and often used as a Scouting Vehicle. Unlike the T-2010, the T-2012 has a small-enough mounted energy weapon used against enemy infantry units it encounters.**

 **Type 2210 " _Conqueror_ " Main Battle Tank - The Conqueror Tank is the main claw of the Guardian Military, a devastating ground vehicle. The appearance of one is enough to send chills down both the Brotherhood and Assassin's spine. The Conqueror launches bolts of plasma which explodes on impact, the energy of the bolt can melt just about anything which makes renders any defense useless, hence the title for such a tank.**

 **Type 2440 Anti-Aircraft Vehicle - The T-2440 is the Guardian Standard Anti-Aircraft Vehicle. Rather than sending a slew of munitions, It fires constant singular lasers in a consecutive pace, unlike standard Anti-Air. It can also track and predict flight patterns making it an effective Anti-Air Weapon.**

 **Fast All-Terrain Transport Vehicle " _FATTY_ " - The " _Fatty_ " is the descendant of the modern Humvee sharing the majority of it's features. The FATTY's design is much more sleeker and bigger version than the traditional Humvee. It is built like a bulldog; Sleek, Bulky, and high off the ground.**

 **Infantry Fighting Vehicle " _IFFY_ " - The " _Iffy_ " is often used as an Infantry Carrier Vehicle and bears much resemblance to the American Stryker, however unlike the Stryker, the IFFY is significantly larger and can hold twice the amount of infantry. The IFFY is also called an APC by both the Guardians and Assassin due to is size.**

 **Heavy Battle Tank " _Tortoise_ " - The Tortoise is the Brotherhood's preferred choice when it comes to Battle Tanks. Armed with twin 130mm Cannons, the Tortoise fires a variety of rounds but the main choice of munition is the SABOT round. Much like their Guardian Counterpart; The Conqueror, The Tortoise's SABOT munition rips through armor rendering any form of defense useless. The Tank also shares much resemblance to the Abrams.**

 **Anti-Aircraft Vehicle no. 28 " _Sewing Machine_ " - The AAV 28 is the Brotherhood standard Anti-Aircraft Vehicle. The AA fires specific 20mm rounds called "Piercers", the round is basically a needle launched from a bullet/shell the same way a SABOT round operates, this has earned the vehicle it's namesake.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **To be Honest, I feel this chapter is really short but regardless it's still a chapter forever setting the stage of the evitable. Also, Hopefully you're using your imagination for said vehicles, I do.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Some Context:_

Guardian Shield Battalions - Shield Battalions refer to the "Armed Forces" of the Guardians as opposed to the "Order". At the start of the Second Great War in the Spiritual Realm, there were not such Battalions to speak of. When the Guardians quickly formed their Armed Forces in response to the advancing Brotherhood, Battalions were formed from the eager hundreds of thousands volunteers ready to strike back at the Brotherhood.

Japanese National Diet - The National Diet refers to the Main Japanese Parliament divided between Upper and Lower houses; Councillors and Representatives. One could compare the National Diet to the United States Congress.

* * *

 **The Living World**

Silence filled the air, the skies were blue aside from a few clouds, and the Sun beaming down on healthy lush trees, it was relaxing to say the least. However, things weren't so cut and dry for a recently promoted JSDF Officer; Yoji Itami, he was disappointed. Itami often treated his day job as more of a chore to keep up with his hobbies which included Anime, Manga, and Doujins; he was an otaku. His disappointment came from not having to go to a convention because of the Ginza Incident.

Itami attempted to clear his mind by jogging laps in quiet, however this wasn't going to happen when a young man came up to his side, "Oh ho, Yeah! If it isn't the one and only highly-decorated Lieutenant Yoji Itami himself!" The Young Man greeted with excitement, "I'm Specialist Kurata, I just transferred from Camp Nayoro." He introduced.

Itami remained quiet and continued to focus on his jogging, paying no attention to the individual beside him. Itami just wanted to be left alone for the time being.

"Hell of a rush to be in the same unit with the guy who saved half the town. So tell me, what's it like to be super famous and stuff? It's gotta be a little badass, Imma right? It must be nice, I beg you gotta fight the chicks everywhere you go!" Kurata continued, his behaving like a fan meeting a celebrity. Every time he was referred to as the Hero of Ginza, he is reminded that he didn't get the chance to go to the convention on that day, Fate is rather cruel.

"Get away from me!" Itami snapped finally having enough of it.

Eventually lunch came around, the two sat themselves together in the cafeteria along with other JSDF personal. Both Kurata and Itami sat across from each other, "Y'know I didn't get one damn plushy that day, and plus they got me working weekends since then." Itami complained leaning back in his chair, "This sucks~!" he groaned as Kurata quietly ate and listened.

Kurata paused from eating to speak, "You did just get promoted didn't ya?" Kurata asked leaning slightly forward, "I'm not so sure you have a whole lot to complain about, dude."

"Yeah well I didn't ask for their stupid promotion okay." Itami answered, finding more of a hassle if anything.

Kurata gave Itami a slightly surprised look in response, "Okay...so you don't what to be here?" he questioned not sure what to make of the situation.

"BINGO! I just took this job so I can keep up with my hobbies." Itami admitted before briefly saying grace for his meal, "And if someone asked me to make a choice about it..." he trailed off just as he began sipping his drink, "...It's the Otaku life for me."

Kurata held his expression for a brief moment before having a smug grin on his face, "Heh, kay. How 'bout this..." he said to Itami and paused for a response.

"Huh?"

"...I didn't mention something to you before, but I..." Kurata spoke but again paused unintentionally building suspense, "...I was there at the comics convention." he finally said leaning towards Itami, also subtly revealing that he too was an Otaku.

"Grk!" Itami sounded and looked shocked, "Are you serious?!" Itami questioned with a whisper keeping his tone down.

"Yeah." Kurata acknowledged, "But since you did all the hero stuff and everything, I didn't know how to bring it up." he admitted, acting like he couldn't hold a candle to him.

"How'd you make out?" Itami quickly questioned with excitement.

"Huh?" Confused, Kurata retracted his lean.

"What did you buy, Man? You totally gotta come by my place!" Itami told Kurata before throwing his arms around the Specialist latching on to him and immediately becoming best friends with the fellow Otaku.

"Whoa! Wait a minute sir!" Kurata says in response not sure how to react.

"What're you afraid of? We're both fanboys aren't we?" Itami remarked.

Meanwhile another JSDF Soldier sitting across the room sat down and began saying grace, "Thank you for this wonderful meal." he said before hearing all the ruckus Itami and Kurata were making.

"My place, 20:00." Itami told his new bestie, "It'll be fun Kurata, okay?" he says as Kurata attempts to break free from Itami's grip.

The soldier watching the other two just happens to look past them and notice a blonde in the far corner of the room. The Blonde had her hair tied up in buns and appeared to be wearing the JSDF uniform, "Who's that?" he asked himself.

Lunch was eventually over and the JSDF were out doing their routine exercise. Itami and Kurata seemed to hit it off as friends however the roles were reversed from when the first met.

"C'mon Kurata, what the heck is your problem?" Itami inquired. His new friend seemed to he avoid him and he didn't know why.

"AAAGGHHH!" Kurata screamed then began hugging himself for comfort, "Sir, I'm flattered but I'm not really interested." he told him as he continued to run from the Lieutenant.

"Wait, wah..." Perplexed, Itami dropped his jaw, obviously not getting the subtle hints.

"Look, I'm into girls okay!" Kurata continued clearly in some form of distress.

Before Itami could respond, A woman sprinted past both of them, "Out of the way, slowpokes!" She shouted as she continued down the track.

"Whoa!" Kurata sounded as he stumbled to keep his balance.

Kurata just about stopped to get a glance at the woman, "Who was that?" he questioned.

Itami on the other hand slowed down to a pace, "Blonde Hair? Was that an American?" he asked himself but realized it wasn't the case because he had noticed the Blonde wearing a JSDF uniform.

Both Otakus watched her dart off before hearing the sound of multiple boots against the pavement, "After her! She's the only who hasn't been tagged!" a soldier stated from behind the two bewildered men. Suddenly a group of JSDF soldiers, both men and women, ran past Itami and Kurata appearing to chase after the Blonde.

Unbeknownst to all of them, another JSDF soldier stood behind a tree hiding and observing the two and coincidentally the blonde too, "Looks fun to me." he remarked seeing the enjoyment of the situation.

As the day progressed, so did Itami and Kurata's friendship. Both of them would talk things Anime; which anime was better, which character was the cutest, and even who knew the lyrics to an opening or ending. The two now found themselves back in the cafeteria for supper.

After getting their plates, Itami turned to look for a table and happen to spot a familiar Blonde, "There she is again." he said to himself. Frozen, he just stared at the girl, the longer he did the more something wasn't quite right.

"Go say hi, dude." Kurata butted in seeing Itami was fixated on this blonde girl, clearly he got the wrong message.

Itami simply scoffed, "No way, man. You go." he shot back.

While to two debated on who should go and meet the strange blonde, although they would never actually go, the lone individual from before stepped up to the table, quite literally in fact.

"Hi." The man greeted stepping beside the Blonde, "This spot taken?"

He Blonde to a moment from her food to glance at the towering individual, "Nope! Not at all." The Blonde responded cheerfully and patted the spot beside her as an invite.

With a simple nod, the individual sat down and placed his tray down, "Tomita. Tomita Akira." He introduced in the traditional sense that the surname would be first before the first name.

"My name's Illyasviel Kasukezaki." The Blonde said back allowing the courtesy of introductions, although she introduced in the Western sense, "You can call me Ilya." she told him before getting back into her food.

Shortly after Ilya went to her food, Tomito found the silence a bit awkward despite the white noise of the room. Seeing Ilya for the first time peaked his curiosity and had a burning question, "So how'd you wind up joining the JSDF?" he asked wanting some form of small talk.

With a mouthful of food, Ilya turned to Tomita with balloon cheeks and gulped it down, "Well, long story short; I needed a job a few years ago." she vaguely answered looking a little uneasy about saying so.

"Oh, I'm sure there's a story behind that." Tomita pried for a little more information.

"Yeah..." Ilya responded timidly as if desperately trying avoid answering. She paused briefly before deeply sighing, "So, both parents wanted to find a job so I can pay rent if I wanted to live at their place shortly after graduation. The only option back then was to join the JSDF." She frantically explained before folding her arms with a stern expression.

Tomita glanced over to Ilya and gave her a reassuring pat on the back after seeing she was in a bit of distraught, "Sounds like it finding a job must've been tough." he commented. Now that he got what wanted to know, the only things was to leave her alone or befriend her.

Ilya chuckled at Tomita's comment, "You don't know the half of it, Most places aren't looking to hire a Hāfu." She said going back into her meal, "There's not much you can do really." she finished as she began eating.

Her words prompted Tomita to glance back at her one more time. He wasn't shocked nor surprise but felt a small sense of pity for the Half-Japanese girl.

 **The Other World**

The other world had different hours for the time of day than it was in the Spiritual Realm and in the Physical World, it was essentially another planet all together. The Sun was just horizon as the day was coming to an end. Bandits within the region decided to attack and raid local villages however these bandits had ran into a group of "White Knights" carrying the banner of a shield. Their attacks and advances had failed, whenever they approached these Knights they were struck by a bolt of light which shot right through their armor and shields, the raids were cut short before they even started.

(Run!) A bandit cried as he attempted to flee, (Run away!)

One of the White Knights lifted his "Magic Rod" and took aim before firing. * **PEW** * The Rod sounded sending a bolt at the fleeing Bandit.

The Bolt impacted the back plate of the Bandit and ignited sparks, (Ack!) The Bandit cried before dropping to the ground.

Glaring at the body through his strange helmet, the White Knight sighed in disappointment, "How many Bandits does that make?" He asked turning to his left, there stood another of these White Knights but unlike the rest this one had red stripes detailing his armor.

The red stripped knight shrugged his shoulders, "I lost count." he simply responded.

As the group of Whites huddled together, an elderly man came approached the group along with a few of the local villagers, (Thank you! Brave Warriors, we are truly in your debt.) The elderly man gratefully told the White Knights. The red stripped Knight glanced over seeing the old man offer a pouch of gold to him; The Lead Knight. Judging by the Old Man's attire, This was the Chieftain of the village and behind him were many of the villagers.

The Lead Knight pushed the pouch of gold back towards the Chieftain, "Keep your gold." The Knight told him.

The Chieftain didn't understand him but understood the gesture made by the stripped Knight, (I do not understand your tongue, but your actions are truly humbling.) he told the Knight and gave a simple bow before returning to his people who all were a little afraid to approached the Knights, let alone thank them.

At this point, one of the other Knights approached the Lead Knight, "We're still far from the FOB, and the T-2012 is running low on energy." He explained to his superior.

The Lead Knight sighed, "Pull out the Solar Panel, we've no choice but to stay here for a while." he replied and ordered to which the latter Knight nodded in acknowledgement.

Just as the Lead Knight began walking towards a White Carriage, he felt a tug on on arm, (Um...Excuse me?) sounded a timid voice in a strange language.

The Stripped Knight turned around only to see nobody standing behind him but a crowd not far off all watching with cautious and curious eyes.

(H-he-hello?) The voice sounded once more.

The Stripped Knight then looked down and found a little girl staring directly up at this Tall White Tower. With the Sun on the horizon, the Lead Knight overshadowed her and could see the little stars in her eyes glimmering with amazement.

(Wh-Who are you, White Knights?) She asked tilting her head in curiosity.

"What do you think she is asking?" One of the other Knights asked.

"Beats me." The Lead Knight responded. He then kneeled down to level with the girl, "Hey." he greeted.

The girl giggled, " **HEY**." she mimicked with a light accent. The accent leaned towards italian.

The Lead Scout found the girl's english a delight and smiled underneath his helmet, "We, Are, Guardians." he told her, "Guar-di-an." he says as he shows her the shield emblem printed on his pauldron. These "Knights" were in fact Guardians sent from the Brotherhood-lead Coalition, these men were scouts sent ahead of the main invasion force but unlike their other scout comrades they chose to wear their standard white armor.

The little girl reaches out and traces the outline of the shield, " **Gar-dee-yan**." she attempts to repeat. To her and everyone else, the shield was used as protection and for "knights" to don shield a symbol was more or less cliché but it was symbolic, not only to the Guardians but to those under their protection.

"She's cute." One of the Guardian scouts commented.

The Lead Scout chuckles in response, "Reminds me of my Daughter." he remarked allowing the little girl check out his armor.

The Little Girl diverted her attention to the "Magic Rod" the Guardian Scouts held. To her, the Rod looked like a simple crossbow but without the arching bow and rope, she was fascinated by the weapon because it shoots bolts of light.

Eventually, the villagers returned to their homes and allowing the Guardians their own time but also the local militiamen kept a close eye on them, out of caution or curiosity.

The Chieftain was in his home getting ready for bed when a militiaman entered his home, (The Empire sent the detachment we asked for.) he told the Chieftain.

Th Chieftain looked relieved and looked up to the heavens, (Thank the Gods, The Empire answered our cry for help but we don't need them anymore.) he gratefully thanked before turning to the militiaman. The militiaman in turn nodded in agreement.

Shortly after the Chieftain prepared to get leave, a decorated Legionary walked through the entrance of his home, (Are you the Chief of this village?) he asked upon seeing the elderly man.

(I am.) The elderly man acknowledged.

(I am Centurion Fenius. We heard of Bandits attacking settlements so we rushed over to help. Where are the Bandits?) The Decorated Legionary introduces and explained his reasoning why he was there.

(Thank you for coming, Fenius, but the Bandits were chased away or killed.) The Chief explained which prompted a confused frown on the Centurion's face, (A group of White Knights, from "Gardeeyan" came to our aid.) he finishes added he said Guardian the way the little girl from his village had said.

"Gardeeyan?" The Centurion questioned. It would appear some unknown group beat them to the punch, (I have not heard such an Order or Guild. Are they Mercenaries?) he inquired wanting to know about these strange White Knights who had driven off Bandits.

(No. They look too well-organized to be such rabble. They had these "Magic Rods" that shot bolts light.) The Chieftain defended, (They also had a floating White Carriage.)

The Centurion didn't know what to make of this information, normally he would conclude the man was crazy and spouting blasphemy but this was a man well respected in the village and whom his people elected as Chief, The Centurion could see the man was sane and speaking clearly with confidence, (Where are they now?) Fenius questioned giving the man benefit of the doubt. Just what kind of Knights are these Warriors to have these Magic-Rods the Centurion wondered.

The Chieftain then pointed in a direction, (Just south from here.) he replied.

Sure enough, the Chieftain went to the location where the Guardians were last spotted. The local militiamen told the Centurion and the Chieftain they saw the Guardians put out their fire, presumably for bed. However when the two leaders arrived, along with the Centurion's men, the camp the Guardians made was gone.

(Where did they go? They were here not long ago.) The Chieftain questioned as he looked around for them thinking they have moved.

They eventually arrived at the last known location which had a fire-pit smoldering. The Centurion had he men look around for any indication that they were there and where the may have gone.

A pair of Legionaries approached the smoldering camp fire and immediately found something, (Tracks.) One of them pointed before holding his torch above the said tracks, (Odd shape for a boot.) the other legionary commented. The tracks left a boot mark in the dirt but they were looking at the tread imprint left behind by the Guardian Boot.

(Looks like something very large sat here...) Another Legionary said looking at a big imprint in the ground followed by boot tracks, (...and then just disappeared.)

The Centurion scoffed at his subordinate choice of words, (Don't be foolish.) he told him.

At this point, the Centurion's Second-in-Command approached him, (Look sir, the land there has a trail, looks like something pushed all the dirt aside.) he explained pointing to an area where yet another pair were in investigating a fairly large trail seemingly put there recently.

Taking into account what the Chief told him and what the area provided Centurion Fenius turned to the Elderly Man, (You said they had a floating carriage?) questioning him as if to pry for confirmation.

(They did.) The Chieftain answered, (They had magic unlike anything I have seen in all my years.)

Once more, the Centurion observed the Chief's behavior, (Were the human?) he asked because there were many humanoid races within the continent, whoever these White Knights were may as well be elves

The Chief paused to think so he could recall if they were indeed human, (I could not tell. They all had strange helmets that covered their faces.) he admitted despite resembling a human. His disappoint written all of the Elderly Man's face then it brighten as if he remembered something, (I remembered their banner though, The all had this symbol.) he said taking to the ground and drew the Symbol of the White Knights.

The Legionaries and the Centurion all crowded around to the Chieftain to see what he was drawing, (A shield?) one of the legionaries stated upon seeing the symbol.

The Centurion then kneel down to level with the Chieftain with a serious expression, (Chief, Tell me everything from start to finish. Then we are going to the Imperial Capital to tell Emperor Molt about these _White Knights_.) he explained. Based of what he has seen, these White Knights may not be mercenaries but an unknown army walking freely within the Imperial-controlled regions. Actions like these are considered an Act of War; The Invasion of another Country without proper permission.

The Chieftain looked to the Centurion with understanding, (Ok.) he nodded. Unbeknownst to them, there were more of these White Knights, scattered throughout the Empire's region. To the Imperial Subjects, their goal was unclear however the Guardian Scouts had one mission, to familiarize the land, survey the area for mapping, and set up Sat-Coms. Unfortunately for anyone who disregard the rumors of these White Knights will eventually regret it because they are harbingers for a much larger force.

 **Earth/The Living World, Japan**

The current Prime Minister of Japan, Shingenori Hojo, took to addressing the nation with the entire watching closely, especially the world's superpowers; The United States, Russia, and China. However, they weren't the only ones keeping a watchful eye, the Spiritual Realm's Superpowers; The Guardians, The Brotherhood, and The Assassins, carefully paid close attention even though the Brotherhood already has their hand in the bucket.

Standing in front of the Japanese national diet as well as a row of cameras from new broadcasters, Prime Minister Hojo addressed the world, "This region is not on a map. It is truly a great unknown to us. We've no idea what anything's like there, neither the land nor the people, nevertheless we must learn what we can. During the incident, we've captured several of the perpetrators, for now we've charged with these individuals with breaking the law, as we would with any criminal or terrorist operator." he explained as he looked to the Japanese Senate, whom Colonel Hyuka of the Brotherhood was a part of, "It seems destroying the opening isn't the answer, for all we know there is a danger of another GATE opening somewhere else if we shut this one down. So for now, we've decided, to treat this "Special Region" as if it were a part of Japan itself. We are going to make every effort to learn more about the other side." He continued.

Meanwhile, the Hāfu, Ilya was on leave and visiting her family at their home. She was the only one there at the time and waited for the family to return. The Blonde was seated at an island countertop watching the Prime Minister on television.

Prime Minister Hojo continued his speech through the flatscreen, "We must get the members of the Governments there who brought the fight to our soil, to sit at the negotiating table with us. Even though there is great risk in this undertaking, We the Japanese Government are determined to search the area and arrest the man who masterminded this invasion that resulted in the Ginza Incident and demand compensation for the damages. Therefore we are authorizing the deployment of the Self-Defense Forces to the other side..." He finished before the TV was turned off via remote.

Ilya turned around only to find a sandy blonde European woman, her Mother, standing there with a remote pointed at the TV, she had just came home as seen by her business suit and purse slung around her shoulder. She gave her mother a "wtf" look for interrupting the broadcast.

Ilya's Mother then dropped her arm and tossed the remote on the countertop, "Are you going to the Other Side?" She questioned as she directed herself towards the kitchen sink, put her purse down, and started on the dishes, she was also unpleased with the tense atmosphere just around the corner.

"Yes." Ilya firmly replied, "As a member of the Self-Defense Force, I solemnly sore to protect and serve my nation and it's people in times like this." she explained to her mother with determination.

Ilya's Mother sighed and turned the faucet off making the room silent with awkwardness, "Some days I think you were better off working as maid in that café." She commented aloud in frustration.

Ilya sighed in response to the comment, "Mother, we already talked about this." She stated, implying that the issue was supposed resolved, "You said enlisting was going to be okay."

The Mother pretty much dumped all the dishes in the sink out of spite, "That's before I knew you were going to war, not just in some foreign country but in a foreign world we know next to nothing about." She argued turning around to face her daughter with a sour expression.

Ilya let out a small growl before getting up from her chair, "Before I enlisted, You and Father gave me less than 3 days to find a job!" she snapped, "On top of that, the maid café I was working at back then wasn't, in your words, "going to prepare me for life." and the salary wasn't going to be enough."

"Those were your Father's words." The Mother said in her defense.

"Oh of course, just like working at a Bank or Fast-Food Chain was going to prepare me for life." Ilya remarked with sass, "Besides, there weren't a lot of places that were going to hire a Hāfu." she muttered under her breath.

At this point, two individuals can heard entering the home. Both of them entered the kitchen from the foyer, one of them was an older man with dark hair clearly Japanese, the other was a young woman sharing most of her father's features aside from light colored eyes, It was Ilya's Father and Sister. The pair found Ilya facing off against her Mother.

"Thank goodness you're home, sweetie." The Mother said with relief upon seeing the pair, "Can you please talk Ilya out of going to the Other Side?" she kindly asked but with a stern tone.

Before anyone could respond Ilya spoke first, "I'm old enough to make my own decisions, Mother." She said with a fierce tone before storming past her Father and Sister and out the front door.

The Father pinced the bridge of his nose in response to the whole situation and simply ignored the Mother's request, not because he didn't care but because Ilya had a point, either way he didn't want to get involved since the series of arguments were between both of them. He didn't say anything and went into the other room but the Sister on the other hand was concerned and decided to follow after Ilya.

Upon exiting, The Sister found Ilya sitting on the front steps muttering to herself, "Were You and Mom arguing? What it about your decision to join the Self-Defense Force again?" She asked. This wouldn't be the first she came home to a scene like this.

"Hey, Himiko." Ilya greeted her Sister before sighing, "I was expected to find a job and I found one. Apparently joining the Self-Defense Force wasn't on the list." She stated bring both her legs closer so she can wrap her arms around them in a fetal position.

Himiko went over and sat down beside her, "She cares for your well being, you know that right?" she tells her as she comes over.

"Of course, it's her job as a mother but c'mon, I don't need to be pampered." Ilya responds before digging her face into her knees in frustration.

"I know, but you're the child of the family." Himiko reassures her and wraps one arm around Ilya's shoulder for comfort. Ilya remained quiet in the subtle embrace of her sister, "This'll be your first combat mission, do you think you're ready?" Himiko kindly asked. This prompted Ilya to look over with a soft expression.

"I guess I'll find out when I get there." Ilya replied with a smile knowing no matter what happened, Himiko would continued to love her younger sister.

 **Three Months Later, Ginza GATE**

Eventually the JSDF gathered outside the GATE in Ginza weeks later, it's strike force all standing in formation. Prime Minister Hojo's term ended and a new Prime Minister was elected. The New Prime Minister, Shinzo Motoi, took to addressing the Self-Defense Force as the world watched Japan enter the GATE.

"Thanks to the efforts of former Prime Minister Houjou and much multi-partisan support, this action is finally authorized and ready to begin." Prime Minister Motoi said looking amongst the crow of dozens, if not, hundreds of JSDF personal, "You carry all the hopes and dreams of our people with you. Members of the Defense Force, Serviced with distinction, we shall expect nothing less of you."

After the Prime Minister was finished his speech, A fairly aged man wearing the JSDF Combat Uniform approached the podium, "I am Lieutenant General Hazama. Several missions have scouted the region over the last four weeks. So far all of them have returned safely but we still don't know what we're facing, therefore I suggest you all get ready for the possibility of being in a firefight the moment you reach the other side."

Itami, standing in formation, felt something wasn't right. He knew he was being watched were being watched around the world but it felt like more of a sixth sense, something was there watching over them. He took to shifting his eyes around to the the top of roofs but saw nothing. It was the oddest sensation.

He eventually glanced over to the memorial and saw a familiar little girl he had met during the Ginza Incident, she appeared to be standing here holding her mother's hand unsure about the situation. His focus diverted from the little girl another familiar person, Ilya, who he just happened to recognize. Unlike the rest of the unit, Ilya held a serious expression like she just had an argument.

"We're moving out shortly, stand by." General Hazama announced.

Upon announcement, all units of he JSDF reported to their designations, armed themselves, and loaded up into their infantry vehicles.

"Keep the tires and light the fires, people." The radio channel sounded, "Stay bunched up and watch your mission block like your life depends on it." whoever was speaking continued as the spearhead slowly moved towards the GATE. The day Earth was connected to another world, It was a moment in history and all the world could do is watch. The Japanese Tanks were first the enter the GATE followed by the Humvees and APCs. The all eyes from the Physical World to the Spiritual Realm were fixated watching Japan enter the GATE, Families of those involved were watching especially.

Itami awaited for the inevitable, sitting uneasy in the Troop Carrier. Besides the rumbling of the engine, it was quiet which didn't help the atmosphere. Kurata on the other hand was seated across from Itami.

Looking up from the floor to Itami, Kurata called "Hey, got a sec'?" kindly asking.

"Hmm?"

Kurata's face lit with a nervous smile, "I hear there's cat-girls and stuff over there, you think that's true?" he asked. Since the Advanced Recon returned, the came back with statements which turned into rumors.

Itami have Kurata a reassuring look, "Oh hell, why wouldn't there be?" he replied with a confident smile. If Dragons were a thing then anything is possible, Kurata's just got to be hopeful that there are Cat-girls.

All the meanwhile, Ilya found herself in a different Troop Carrier from Kurata and Itami, the one she was in just entered the GATE. Ilya pulled out a picture from her pocket, it was a picture from her time when she was stationed in Okinawa alongside Americans Soldiers. Ilya stood in between 5 Americans, all flexing their arms while giving a hard wink and tongue sticking out much like the Maori tribals. She flipped the pic around and the back side read " _Hāfu Metal Jacket and the Misfits!_ " she giggled being reminded of all the fun times she had with them. She went to put the picture in her helmet and after she did, she received a text, guess she was still in range.

Pulling out her phone, the text read it was from Mom, " _Remember to keep your head down and Come home safely. I love you._ " The text said. Her Mother said she wasn't going to watch the ceremony but she must've changed her mind.

Ilya wasn't sure how to feel because she wasn't on the best of terms but regardless she replied, " _I will. Many Thanks! 3 I love you too._ " pressing the send button and seeing it was delivered she let out a sigh of relief. The further she went through the GATE's tunnel, the signal bars on Ilya's phone dropped until it read no signal.

Upon reaching the other side, the Troop Carrier pulled over to the right side to halt forming a line of vehicles. Far off in the distance, they could see torches light up with thousands of enemy foot soldiers preparing for combat.

"We've got contact!" The radio called.

Upon the statement, the back hatches of the Troop Carriers dropped down and out came the infantry units. The Platoons performed standard unloading maneuvers and thereafter began forming a defensive line in the few bushes scattered near the GATE. The JSDF came prepared for a firefight but after looking on towards a massive enemy force, it was unclear if the would manage to hold out even if they had Tanks and Machine Guns. Some infantry began launching flares for a better look at the battlefield and with everything falling into place, this was going to be a day for the JSDF to remember.

 **Brotherhood FOB, South East of Alnus**

3 months have passed since the Coalition Invasion Day and neither the Brotherhood or Guardians did anything beyond their Forward Operating Base. All the Guardian Scouts had returned safely and often told their fellow comrades about the land and it's people, aside from intelligence regarding the region and government alike. Within those 3 months, The Brotherhood and The Guardian forces stationed at the FOB managed to learn the basic language of the locals, though it often sounded broken at times. Aside from sitting around, The Brotherhood had built a Motor pool, Runway, several Storage Tents, a Recreational Area, Dozens of Barracks, and a simple jail. The FOB altogether was built no different than the Imperial Legionary Camps.

Outside, over by a couple of crates, a soldier and a trooper sat side-by side-with box in between them. The Soldier didn't have his combat armor on nor did the Trooper, they both just wore their traditional undersuit. The two would just look up at the night sky in awe of the view.

"Hey, again." The soldier greeted the trooper like they were at this before.

"Hey." The trooper greeted back.

After the greeting, it fell quiet as expected. The Brotherhood and Guardians never got along, however this time was different because 3 months had past with not a whole lot going on, rivalry just became pointless and boring after seeing the same faces over and over again, many of them expected action like the Invasion Day, that was far from the truth. It got to the point where they two would have a certain understanding of each other and acknowledged their points they shared together.

The Soldier continued to stare at the stats before breaking the silence, "Mintah, 5th Rangers." he introduced to the Trooper.

The Trooper responded, "Fuyas, 283rd Shield Battalion." he said giving Mintah the courtesy and returning the introduction.

"The stars are nice." Mintah commented before silence could befall between the two.

"They're beautiful." Fuyas acknowledged. The Trooper then pointed up the a cluster of stars and began talking with the Ranger, the Ranger in turn would tell the Trooper it had a shape. The two would then go on and try to figure out the constellations of the stars.

In the Command Tent, Commander-Supreme Yuki simply worked at her desk writing in logs books which were the same for the past 3 months. There were others in the tent along with her; A comms specialist, a base coordinator, among several other people.

The Comms Specialist worked to relay information to and from the Spiritual Realm via terminal, however she was trying to troubleshoot the Relay Comms because for whatever reason they were unresponsive. She's been at this for the past two and a half months attempting to fix the problem.

She would work until she received a call, a box appeared on her Terminal screen with the caller ID, "Commander-Supreme, It's Colonel Hyuka." she called turning to Yuki.

Yuki had stopped writing and only shifted her eyes towards the Comms Specialist. Upon hearing it was Hyuka, she rose a finger and gradually began to put things away, after that she put a device at the edge of her desk which when activated opened an ethereal terminal. Once she was done she calmly placed both hands in front before nodding towards the Specialist who transfer the call from her Terminal to Yuki's Terminal.

The face of Hyuka appeared on Yuki's screen, "Greetings Commander-Supreme." he greeted and saluted.

Remaining stoic, Yuki appeared unfazed, "Hello Colonel, Why the formality?" she questioned. Seeing her Colonel act so formal was out of the ordinary.

Hyuka looked stumped for a brief moment before speaking, "In case you've forgotten, the Rank of " _Leader-Supreme_ " temporary grants you utmost authority above any and all personal. You are essentially a _Brotherhood General_." he reminded her of the duties of said title.

That's when it donned on Yuki who in response, cringed before chuckling it off, "Heh, Right. I forgot." she admitted slightly blushing in embarrassment.

Hyuka chuckled as well, "So basically I answer to you..." he trailed feeling a bit iffy of how he choose those words, "...so to speak."

"But between friends, we can casually chat." Yuki reassured the Colonel, "So what brings you to me, Hyuka?"

Hyuka nodded acknowledging that fact, "I wanted to inform you that the JSDF have entered the "Special Region"." he told her shooting her a very serious expression.

Now it was only a matter of time for the JSDF to encounter both the Guardians and the Brotherhood, this was a very serious matter. Not only Japan would be surprised to see another modern military within the Special Region but there is potential that Japan might discover that the Brotherhood has ties within their government and eventually the world. The biggest of the main concerns were that the Special Region indirectly acted as a middle ground connecting the Spiritual Realm to the Physical World. To be able to openly travel in between plains, that was something the Brotherhood wouldn't stand for.

Yuki rolled her eyes in response trying to ease the situation, "I don't see what's so " _special_ " about it. Shit still looks the same, different pile though." she remarked comparing the environments of both the Physical and Spiritual Plains.

Hyuka just about snapped if it were not for his patience as a Colonel, "With all due respect, Things just got complicated." He addressed with a red tick appear on his forehead, "For starters, the JSDF are completely unaware of your presence there, sure they've sent advanced recon but they somehow overlooked your location."

Yuki then slouched back in her chair, "Might I add that we haven't done much recon ourselves, we've only finished our FOB about a month and a half ago." She admitted before looking over she shoulder as the gravity of the situation sank, "You're right though, things just got complicated." she finally acknowledged.

While the GATEs between Worlds indirectly connected the them, the made for a two-way street. The Spiritual Realm as a whole is a dangerous and unsafe plain of existence, while it does act as an afterlife, the ghosts share it with all kinds of Spirits from good, bad, those in the middle. Since it's inception, the Brotherhood acted as a main police force to these spirits making sure they were controlled. This was in effort to keep the Physical World balanced.

Silence filled the air and the personal in the Command Tent were unintentionally listening in. Yuki turned back to Hyuka and simply just stared unsure how to respond. What was to happen next, does the Brotherhood engage the JSDF, will the Guardians have to pick a side? Many questions like these filled the heads of everyone.

Hyuka then relaxed his posture before inhaling and exhaling, "What of the Scout Troopers? Have they finished with the Relay Comms?" he changed the subject. The serious matter was going to be left for another day.

Yuki then began looking through the stack of papers she just finished reviewing regarding that subject. She then pulled a slip and skimmed through it, "Yes, they've finished constructing them throughout the region and turned them on." she replied placing the paler in front of her with a confidant smile.

Hyuka then narrowed his eyes looking very unamused, "Have they configured them?" he asked.

BOOM, it was as if a shot rang out, someone had just dropped the ball. Yuki's smiled slowly drained into sudden realization, "No...they have not." she replied with a timid tone.

Letting out a hard sigh of frustration, Hyuka pince the ridge of his nose, "So you just got Relay Comms throughout the land without a linked signal? They're turned on but no relay?" he questioned. The purpose of the Relay Comms was to allow communications within a specific radius however they needed to be linked through a relay signal in order to work properly, the Relay Comms in the Special Region were never connected to a signal.

The Command Tent fell quiet, dead quiet. If awkward silence was bad, this was worse. The Comms Specialist reached for her headset and lowered it to hang around her neck, she never felt more stupid than a person beating a dead horse, all that time trying to fix the Relay Comms was wasted.

Hyuka, clapped his hands in effort to break the silence, "This is your responsibility now, Commander-Supreme. You decide how you're going to deal with this." he told Yuki in attempt to defuse the awkwardness.

Yuki was frozen, She couldn't move. Normally she would have threw fit but this was different. Yuki sighed knowing full well that this was indeed her responsibility, "I know." she acknowledged before forward on the desk to rest her forehead on the edge and bang her head.

There wasn't a whole lot the Brotherhood Colonel could do at this point but reassure her but he needed to leave, "Keep in mind for when the Brotherhood encounters the JSDF, The Generals and the Lord will trust your judgement. Take care, Yuki." He explained to her before ending the video call.

Yuki continued to bang her head against the desk before finally getting up and headed over towards the base's intercom. Leaning over the device, she rose one finger directly above the button and dropped it to activate the intercom, "Would all Guardian Scout Troopers..." She trailed with a kind voice, "...PLEASE REPORT YOUR ASSES TO THE COMMAND BUILDING A-S-A-P! All you Mofos better report immediately before I come find you and drag your ass here myself!" She demanded in a fit of anger, it was delayed but it finally set in. She then left the station and headed over towards her desk and upon arrival she knocked over all the finished paper over the desk and onto the floor. She then proceeded to head to the corner of the tent, "Ugh~, How could we have been so careless..." she groaned covering her face with both hands in embarrassment.

The Comms Specialist was frustrated too, so much so she took to biting her finger at the joint. She applied pressure to ease her emotions by applying pain but suddenly she felt a click followed by the sound of her teeth hitting together. She looked to see what it was and had seen she was missing two-thirds of her finger, she just bit off her own finger. Upon realization, she spat out her finger, got up, and immediately left to go find a medic.

It would seem the Brotherhood was on the down low at this point; The Relay Comms weren't configured, The JSDF had begun their "invasion", and it was only a matter of time before they hear about the rumored "White Knights". Things weren't looking so bright for the Brotherhood.

* * *

 **The more you know:**

 **Guardian Relay Comms - The Relay Comms is a large device shaped into a box, it cam be moved and concealed pretty much anywhere. The device is wirelessly connected to other Relays through a region allowing for a spider's web range of communication without the use of satellites. Such a device and easily be destroyed and moved out of range if located.**

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Quick Note hey, mainly referring to Kurata's Rank. In the Novel, Manga, Subbed Anime and the opening sequence introduce card, it states he is a Sergeant but at some point in the Dub anime he derps out and states he is a Corporal, however at the start of the anime he says he is a Specialist. A Specialist is not a Corporal, for your information. Just thought I point that inconsistent you may have otherwise looked over.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Imperial Capital, Senate Building**

Days later, shortly after Japan's invasion into the "Special Region", the Empire's Senate was called to address the situation. Representatives from throughout the regions controlled by the Empire.

Standing in the center of a round senate building, surrounded by Senators an individual addressed the Emperor, "My Lord, the GATE situation is an utterly catastrophe. I am sorry to report that over 60% of the Imperial Army is now gone. How do you propose we respond to this situation? How do you indeed to lead the nation in the face of such a crisis?" he questioned, most of the Senators gave concerned expressions upon hearing this.

"Steady, Marquis Casel. No doubt thing seem untellable at the moment." the Emperor reassured before shielding his eyes from the light, "...and yes, it would appear the military advantage we had is completely evaporated, but I believe what actually troubles you is whether or not our subordinate nations could combine their remaining strength and bring rebellion to the steps of the Capital." he explained adding to the fact that now their forces were gone, it'll be easier for neighboring vassals to invade the Imperial Capital but that was far from the case.

Marquis Casel looked rather stunned by the assumption. The Emperor was a smart and cunning leader but to make such a bold assumption while being at war with an unknown enemy from another world, this was surely mind boggling.

"That is the true threat, is it not?" The Emperor question removing his hand from his eyes with a smug look. Marquis looked unimpressed as a result, "Every time we find ourself in a precarious situation, The Emperor, The Senate, and the people of the Empire unite, and thus manage to grow even stronger from it, My dear Marquis." The Emperor explained taking lessons from the past, even he understood history repeats itself, "You cannot win every battle in War. I will not hold anyone accountable for what happened in this fight. I'm sure the Marquis nor the Senate wish to engage in debate rather than trying to keep the Capital from being surround by enemy forces." With that, the Senate agreed in chuckling as they looked amongst themselves.

Marquis Casel simply looked away and to the ground on his left, "He's completely forgotten he started this." he muttered under his breath to himself.

"What is your plan, your Majesty? Two days was all it took for their army to cause such incredible loses. They've seized control of the GATE and are establishing a foothold on our land." An elderly man, presumably another Senator or Military Official, abruptly interrupted and spoke freely, "We've tried to take the GATE once they arrived and it was a completely disaster. We couldn't even get close to them!"

A brief flashback to Alnus at night, tiny flashes of lights erupted from the far side of the hill glimmering in the dark while the sounds of thunder roared and unseen magic ripped through Imperial Armor.

Back at the Senate Building, The Elderly Man continued, "I have never seen such sorcery, It's as if they cast fire itself!" he firmly stated.

Just before anyone could speak, a Senator wearing armor stood up, "We must fight! Our vassals must give what we demand! We build our army using their soldiers!" he shouted, fist raised in the air. His words garnered agreements, particularly those with a nationalist view.

Another Senator stood up in protest, "That would only make things worse, Senator!" he told the former.

There wasn't pause before the Senate Building erupted in arguments, as to be expected from a Senate. The arguments were whether or not, the Empire should engage the Invaders or resolve the situation that doesn't involve sending more soldiers to their deaths. Divided, the Senators took to shouting in each other's face.

While the arguments grew, the Emperor quietly rose his hand in the air and upon seeing this, the Senator's stopped arguing and turned to the Emperor out of respect for their ruler.

"Waiting for matters to worsen is not the answer. Therefore, we must stand and fight." The Emperor addressed with a strong sense of Imperial Pride, "Send messengers as far and wide as their horse with take them. Tell them we need their assistance in repelling the invading forces and we need them right now. Make it so, have all of the allied kingdoms rallied to us, it's time to retake Alnus Hill!" He orders as he stands and looks around the Senate, he words immediately gain the support of the entire Senate with applause and cheering.

Marquis Casel looked uneasy and slowly approached the Emperor, "Y'now, your Imperial Majesty, I fear Alnus will leave another battlefield littered with corpses." Expressing his concern, Marquis saw the inevitable and felt that the same thing would happen to the Allied Kingdoms as did the Empire.

The Emperor grins in response. Judging by his expression, he knew all too well what he was doing. It was obvious what the idea was and what the end goal is, the Emperor was still content with eliminating the neighboring vassal's armies just to keep them from rebelling against the Empire.

Marquis sighed in disappointment. Just as he made his way towards the center of the Senate building, a lone messenger approached one of the Senators and whispered to him before handing him a rolled up parchment.

"Listen up!" A Senator called out. Everyone, include Marquis and the Emperor turned to look at the Senator, "I've just been informed about a pressing concern. There have been more rumors of these White Knights of " **Gardeeyan** " are emerging from local villages. Apparently these noblemen are aiding the villagers from bandits." He explains reading the letter given to him by his messenger.

Upon hearing this, the Senate looked amongst each other and began expressing concern. With each passing day over three months, more rumors of the Guardians Scouts were being heard and about their exploits; How teams of 5 "knights" defended against bandits in small settlements and villages.

"More Rumors?" One of the Senators questioned, "Just who are these White Knights? What do they want?"

The Senator in Armor chuckled in response at the idiocy of the situation, "Bah, Those rumors are nothing but tall tales." He stated folding his arms, "We don't even know if they really exist. Are you sure to trust in the words of lesser citizens?"

Upon finishing, yet another Senator stood up, "If rumors are true then we should be more concerned with the defense of of our Capital now more than ever, never mind the enemy at Alnus. For all we know these White Knights are preparing to invade from beyond our borders. We simply cannot wage War against the enemy from beyond the GATE and these Knights of " **Gardeeyan** "." he explained which once again the Senate began taking sides.

"Enough!" The Emperor shouted before the Senate could start arguing. He then looked amongst the Senate before speaking, "I too heard the rumors and I'm grateful that no Imperial blood was spilled in the bandit raids. If they are from another Nation, then we must welcome them and treat them respectfully. We should win over these men in our fight with the enemy from beyond the GATE." he says. Having heard about these rumors, he simply disregarded them at first but now it was become more and more present, there was an opportunity for use of these "Knights".

The Elderly Man nodded in agreement with the Emperor, "I agree, Rumors say these Knights possess _Magic Rods_ that shoot bolts of light. If we are to win with war with the Invaders then we must enlist the aid of these Knights." he stated which got a lot of agreements from the Senate.

"Preposterous, The Empire has won wars without the aid of mercenaries or guilds. We have done so in the past and we will do so again." The Senator in armor protested refusing foreign help whether or not if the rumors are true. He got some agreements within the Senate with those who share his views.

"With all due respect, we are now fighting a different kind of war, one where we have not seen the likes of." Another Senator argued, "If Alnus isn't the first indication then I don't know what is!" he finished and with that, he had a point. A war of sorcery, a war of magic, a war of change. To these Imperial Subjects, it would seem War has changed.

 **South Western Plains**

South of the Imperial Capital, within a region considered plains, a group of White Armored Individuals worked along a tree line shielded by the shade from the blazing Sun. Four of these White Knights stood around the tree at four points while one of them worked on a device up in the tree itself, this one had twin yellow stripes on his pauldrons and body armor. The Device appeared to be a large crate, the crate had a small screen with a number pad beside it.

These "Knights" were none other than the Guardians that had built up a reputation in the last three months, even though it was only the Guardian Scouts, it was their White Armor that distinguished them from any other faction.

One of Guardians let out a loud sigh, "We had one job, One!" He complained as he scanned the perimeter.

"Shut up, man." Another one told him, "There was no way of knowing."

A third Guardian chimed in, "I swear she was going to rip my face off." he stated referring to Yuki's hotheadedness.

"She's such a hardass." the fourth Guardian added. His statement garnered acknowledgements from the rest of his team, even the one working in the tree.

The Guardians providing cover fell quiet, it was awkward to say the least. It was quiet until one of the four spoke up, "Rumor has it, she's well over ten centuries old." he gossiped, which was more or less true.

"No wonder." one of them answered back, "She probably didn't get laid once in that time." he joked. Yuki's serious attitude could be derived from lack of sex but none of these Guardians seem to understand the anatomy of Ghosts, the spiritual form has no purpose for Physical needs.

The joke gained little in response, it fell quiet once more but this tome it was more awkward than before. All the Guardians turned to look at the one who made the tactless comment and simply shook their heads. Even the Engineer stopped to turn towards the jokester. After shaking their heads all of them couldn't imagine what exactly the Commander-Supreme would do, Everyone saw her as a mean, cold woman, heck she may have even killed them for making a joke.

"We're so, so~ dead." One of the Guardians admitted.

Another one agreed, "That's an understatement." he added implying Yuki would do more than just.

Eventually the Relay-Comm was established, once the Engineer was complete he gave a thumbs up towards the leader, "All set." he called.

"Alright." The Guardian Leader acknowledged before turning on his radio, "Scout team 554273 to Base, Come in Base." he radioed.

Back at the FOB, The Comms personal had received the transmission. Using her middle finger, due to her biting her index finger off, she went to reply, "This is Brotherhood FOB, we read you loud and clear ST-554273" she radioed back.

The Guardian Leader then responded back, "Relay Comm is ready for use, Moving on to the next one." he reaffirmed before ordering his men to mount up onto the T-2012.

"Confirmed, You should be able to access the local network now that the Relay Comm is online." The Comms Personal told the Guardian Scout, "Be advised you will have access as long as you stay in range." She advised.

Acknowledging the fact, The Guardian Leader replies, "Roger that, the more Relay Comms there are the better." he added as his team mounts up on to their hover vehicle.

"Good Hunting, Scouts." The Comms Personal said to them before finishing the transmission.

"Many thanks, out." The Lead Guardian gratefully replied before climbing onto the passenger seat of the T-2012, "Alright, for now we continue to head north and configure the rest of the Relay Comms." he tells his men.

"Yes sir." His team acknowledged with a nod as they drive off towards the next Relay Comm.

 **Brotherhood FOB**

With 3 months having past, thanks to the Guardian Contingent of he Coalition, there were some Imperial Survivors that were taken care of as per Guardian POW regulations. The Survivors were divided between the Guardian and the Brotherhood but many of the Brotherhood Prisoners, mainly Imperial Legionaries, were killed due to not complying with Brotherhood authority, and many of the Guardians Prisoners has it easier, yet despite this difference, the prisoners would often attempt a breakout or escape which ultimately failed and the escapee's actions would effect all the prisoners regardless of the faction.

Within these prisons, were non-human species and for them things weren't so different because they went from one faction to another. Unlike their human counterparts, they quickly fell inline but were surprised when they were treated as equals to their human counterparts and while most returned to their tribal ways in the prison, few saw a new light, one goblin in particular identified as Olok.

Over the course of 3 months, Olok the Goblin was given specially privileges for good behavior as did other prisoners. The privileges included assisting the Brotherhood and Guardians with constructing the buildings they used, moves crates, help with tasks and chores around the FOB. Of course, the prisoners were often overshadowed by a Brotherhood or Guardian personal.

Olok, and a few of the other prisoners, were taught how to use a hand drill amongst other tools. They found the tools ingenious, the magic to be able to run such a contraption was truly beyond their world. Goblins usually found such things taboo but not for Olok, after first hand experience he found construction much easier, if his tribesmen had use for such tools they could build a thousand war camps much quicker. The materials used for building the tower were made from the Empire's Encampment prior to the Brotherhood's invasion. The Damaged Materials from the fighting had other uses.

Olok and his Prison Handler were tasked with building a watch tower over the course of a couple months and both of them were just finishing the last one by adding it's steps to the top platform. Olok drilled in the screws while his handler placed the boards, it was rather simple for a Goblin to understand the concept. He continued to work the simple task until he was finished roughly around mid-day.

Olok was offered an opportunity which he took without questioning it, he got to serve lunch to the Brotherhood and Guardian members. Having to wear an apron, a chef's hat, and oven mitts, Olok pretty much looked like a prison chef. His job was to pour soup made from meat and vegetables into he bowls of passing members, another simple job. Upon looking at the Goblin, the members would respond gratefully or take their soup and continue on with their conversation with their buddy, much to Olok's surprise.

This continued for about half in hour and as the line died down, Olok looked past the line of soldiers and saw _Her_ ; The enemy camp's Commander. The prisoners took to calling the woman " _Fire of Death_ " or " _Demoness_ " for short. Any prisoner interaction with Death's Fire resulted in the prisoner's death in a brutal way unless they were compliant. In one incident, an Imperial Centurion complained about being treated the same as his comrades before taking a swing at the woman which resulted in losing both arms, his jaw, and his eyes. She was aggressive and indeed a fearsome woman. Olok watched the Demoness carefully and noticed that even her men had feared her, however he picked up on how they also respected her. Just who this woman exactly? Is she an apostle to a god in the other world? Is she so attuned with magic and swordsmanship she can rival an apostile? Such questions ran through Olok's mind but one thing's for certain, he would not want to get her attention.

After lunch was complete, Olok was given a metal cup and the left overs to bring back to the prison for either himself or his inmates. Having strapped the massive pot to his back, Olok hobbled from the Brotherhood FOB to the prison which were separated for good reason. As Olok walked a small trail, he looked around and saw dry puddles of blood in the dirt not far from the trail, this was likely former prisoners that strayed from the path. The indication was that the trail was always being watched and was met death if they strayed away. Olok knew better and felt he had a good thing going, he was well fed, he had a good place to sleep, and he had to do was comply with orders.

The Prison itself was nothing short of four tall barricades with Watchtowers placed behind the walls, inside were tents where the prisoners would sleep and an area with tables and chairs. Upon arriving at the Prison Gates, a Guardian trooper looked over Olok and allowed him entry but before the Gates opened, a pair of Brotherhood Soldiers escorted him inside. Once inside, there were a dozen former Legionaries with broken spirits wondering the perimeter or leaning against the walls, others were huddled together based on race; Humans, Goblins, etc. The various groups eyed Olok for the pot of soup like vultures waiting for something to die, he took off the straps and pulled out a cup then took one good scoop before running towards his tent. Not long after, the groups headed towards the unclaimed pot and began a brawl amongst each other.

Before Olok reached his tent, he could hear laughter coming from the Watchtower as a Brotherhood and Guardian pair watched the groups fight over this pot like a pack of wild dogs. Now inside his Tent, he quietly sipped on his soup much like a civilized individual, thankful he got something to eat. Once done, he inspected the metal cup and began admiring the ingenuity of the design, like a tankard it could hold much water but at the same time by used as a bowl, fascinating. Now that his day was done, he decided to head to bed and placed the cup in a bag full of "other goods" given to him which he labelled as "Treasure" in the Empire's Language. Upon placing his head down, a loud bang erupted followed bu the shouting of the Prison Guards, someone tried to escape but knowing past attempts they didn't get very far.

The next day began like any other; wake up, walked around for bit, and get called over, it was no different than the days before however today was slightly different, Olok spotted something shiny on the ground while working around the FOB and fake-tripped to pick it up. For the rest of the duration, he snuck the object into his belt.

By days end, Olok returned to the prison and noticed other goblins in the far end trading. What were they trading? They were trading totems carved with the deities of this world, Colored rocks, and a tiny pieces of Golf and Silver. Olok eyed the gold and silver as he walked back to his tent but inside inside he opened his hand revealing a gemstone. It was a clear gemstone the size of a human thumbnail. Under normal circumstances, Goblins would ignore such frivolous things as they believed it held so such importance but Olok found it intriguing. The sides of his mouth slowly rose into a smile, perhaps he could trade this clear gemstone for more Brotherhood/Guardian Goods he considered as "treasures".

 **5 miles away from Brotherhood FOB**

A lone messenger of the Empire rode along a road heading towards the neighboring kingdoms to deliver a message. Riding as fast as he could along one of the main roads heading south, one hill after the other. He continued to ride onward until he saw a horse waiting beside the road and had noticed another messenger laying down on top of a hill not far from the road.

Jumping off his horse, he proceeded towards the other messenger, "What's going on?" he asked as he approached the messenger laying down.

The other messenger glanced over and gestured him to get lower, "Get down!" He told the other with a loud whisper.

The messenger standing up scrunched his face in confusion, "Huh? Why-" He was grabbed and pulled before he could finish.

The second messenger then pointed in his direction he was facing, "Look." he said.

The messenger that arrived did just that and looked ahead and down the hill. There off in the distance, stood over a dozen unknown knights in White and Grey armors, half of them appeared to be constructing a tall building while the half stood around. Aside from the knights and building, there were also four carriages, two of which were black and small and the other two were white and large but oddly enough there were no horses.

The first messenger carefully watched as the worked. He, like many others, had heard about the enemies at Alnus and their sorcery so he wondered if these strange individuals were them, "Enemies? From Alnus?" He questioned looking to the other messenger.

The second messenger shook his head in response, "No, we're far from Alnus." he replied. He was right, they past Alnus Hill, it was more northwest from where they were.

Upon hearing that, the first messenger became baffled, "Then who are these strange knights?" he asked before looking to the group down below. As he watched with his comrade, he took notice how those in White Armor matched the descriptions of Gardeeyan Knights as mentioned in the rumors.

Down below, some voices can be heard, (Oi! Guardian, Come gimme a hand with this.) Someone said in a strange language.

The first messenger heard the only word he could understand, " **Gardeeyan**?" he repeated with a surprised look.

One of the knights in white armored headed over towards the construction building, (You don't need a hand, you Brotherhood Ghost, you have two.) he responded back.

Unable to understand their language, the two messengers just watched. The expression of the second messenger brightened with a smile, "The White Knights of **Gardeeyan**." He said disregarding the Brotherhood presence.

The other messenger's expression brightened up, "So the rumors are true." he stated with relief. The Gardeeyans were no rumors but actual truth, the only thing to do is to convince them to fight for the Empire against the enemy at Alnus.

Down below, once the Guardian reached the building he peaked inside and the voice from before spoke up, (I need you to check the monitors while I go check the wiring.) he told the Guardian.

(Alright.) The Guardian acknowledged with a nod before heading off towards one of the carriages.

At this point, one of the messengers looked to the other, "We should go down there and ask them to take us to their leader so we can tell them the Empire is in need of their help." he explained. It was the second messenger.

The first messenger felt a strong feeling wash over him, it was the feeling of uncertainty. Something was telling him that was a bad idea, "Something is telling me that we should ignore them. My gut is telling me that much." Reluctant, he expressed his concern.

The second messenger scoffed at his comrade's remark, "These men are noblemen, they have to help us." he told the first messenger.

Feeling insulted, The first messenger then stoop up, "Fine, I'll go down there, if things are well then I'll call you over." he said before heading down much to the surprise of the second messenger.

Casually walking down, the messenger was beginning to have second thoughts but in all honesty it was to prove a point, a point that things aren't as they seem. Luckily, the many Knights had their backs turned and weren't watching where they were supposed to allowing the Messenger into the area.

The Guardian at that large white carriage began looking at a monitor at the back. The same voice yelled from inside the construction building, (Ok, It's wired, what does the screen say?) he asked.

The Guardian looks over the monitor, (It says...) he trails off as he looks for something important.

The messenger cautiously approaches the Guardian, "G-greetings." He says with a timid tone.

This alerts the Guardian, (...What the fuck!?) he calls turning around and pulls out his magic rod.

(What? What?!) The voice from inside cries out disconnecting any wires before crawling out.

Many of the knights were alerted when the Guardian called out and were already approaching the lone messenger, " **Halt! Do not move!** " one of them orders the messenger with a rough accent, all of the with their weapons pointed.

Upon seeing the magic rod, the messenger shows his hands in surrender, "I didn't mean to startle you." he tells them. The messenger sees that the Gardeeyan Magic Rod shares much resemblance to a crossbow used by certain archers but what caught his attention were the longer weapons carried by the Brotherhood personal.

A man crawls out of the building and stands up. He has no armor but is wearing a cloth shirt and pants with a square pattern, A Brotherhood Engineer. He sees the messenger and approaches him, " **What you doing? You in wrong place.** " he sternly says to the messenger, like the Guardians he too has a butchered accent.

The messenger stands his ground and head held high. Just who were these men to treat a messenger like this, especially of the Empire, "I've been sent by the Empire to send a message and-..." he explains before being interrupted by the Engineer.

The unarmored individual pulls out an odd device and pulls back a slide, " **Do not want, do not care.** " The man tells the messenger, " **You are trespassing, Leave.** " he finished speaking then pointed his device towards the messenger, this was the standard Brotherhood Pistol.

Confused, the messenger frowns, "What?" he questions. This land belongs to the Empire and to say he is trespassing is a bold claim.

" **We say leave!** " One of the Guardians shouts taking a step closer to the messenger.

The messenger understands the gesture and takes a step back. According to rumors, This magic rod was capable of ripping through any armor. He soften his expression, "You don't understand, We need your help." the messenger tells them with a sincere look, "Please take my to your leader so we can discuss you aiding the Empire."

Upon hearing the Messenger out, The Guardians and Brotherhood lowered their weapons and looked to each other. Between the two different knights, there was an understanding amongst them.

One of the Guardians approached the messenger, " **First turn around, look that way.** " he told him gesturing him to turn around.

"Uh...ok." the Messenger acknowledged and turned around, "...But I don't see the point-" To cut his sentence short, he was interrupted by sparks that ignited out his helmet before falling forward.

Upon falling to the ground, the others began shooting this man as well. The Guardians fired bursts of three while the Brotherhood shot singles, they riddled the man with burns and bullet holes until they finally stopped after 3 seconds. The Messenger was beyond dead.

The Brotherhood Engineer then dropped his arm with the pistol and rubbed the back of his head, (Want to explain that was about?) he asked the Guardian that told the Messenger to turn around as he was the one that shot first.

(That was the enemy, remember? Just look at his armor.) The Guardian defended as he walked over and kicked the bottom of the messenger's sole, (Besides, I'd rather pick masochism than deal with _Her_.) he admitted, his response garnered acknowledging "hmm" from all the personal there.

(Think he was alone?) One of the Brotherhood Soldiers asked.

(Probably, he did say he delivered messages.) A Guardian answered.

(Right, It only takes one to deliver a message.) Another Guardian spoke up, (And we just killed him.)

While up on the hill where the messenger originate from, there was no one, not even the horses. The other messenger had left, likely after his his counterpart was shot dead by these "Gardeeyans" and the unknown faction calling themselves "Tha Bruhthaahood".

* * *

 **There's really nothin to add at this point. Hopefully this keeps you intrugued.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alnus Hill**

Standing on horseback over looking the soon-to-be battlefield, was an well aged individual in red armor. Judging his appearance, this person was either high ranking officer or a lord, which would be the latter because it is common practice for Kings and Lords to fight alongside their armies in times of war. This man was none other that Lord Duran of the Kingdom of Elbe which was located directly south of Alnus and when he heard the news that the Alnus was being held by barbarians he was like many others were insulted, Alnus was considered a Holy place by the inhabitants of this world.

"My Lord!" A voice called out from behind catching the Lord's attention. A soldier on horseback rode up and addressed the Lord, "We spotted what seems to be enemy scouts at a high vantage point two hills ahead." he said pointing directly of the JSDF Camp.

Lord Duran didn't respond right away but instead took his horse and rode the other way, "Let them be for now, Let us hurry to the gathering of Kings." he told his subordinate before catching up with legions upon legions of troops heading towards the designated camp.

The soldier watched him ride off before turning around to look at the "enemies" on the hill. Like ants slowly going across, a line of green colored figures can be seen. Naturally one would assume they are the JSDF on overwatch but this position was further away from Alnus Hill, in a grey area of the battlefield.

 **Allied Kingdoms Camp**

Much time has past and the day was already reaching into the evening, which by then all of the Kings and Lords had arrived to partake in the liberation of Alnus from the barbarians who originated from the other side of the GATE.

Within the Command Tent were all of the Kings of the Armies ready discuss the tactics and who was going to lead the charge but one commander was still absent, "Why isn't the Commander of the Imperial Army coming?" One of the Kings asked.

An emissary to the Imperial Army knelt before the gathering of Kings, "I'm afraid I must bring you some most distressing news, We're in the midst of an offensive on Alnus Hill, M'lord. It's impossible for the Commander to leave his post." He said in his response.

Everyone in the room all expressed sighs of disappointment.

"That doesn't sound right." Duran stated aloud prompting a bit of suspicion, "My observers saw only a modest number of enemy troops."

"Oh come now. Sir Duran, The Imperial Army is holding down the enemy forces." The Commander to Duran's side spoke up to reassure the Lord.

"You sure of that?" Duran questioned sounding unconvinced.

The Imperial messenger knew what his job was and needed to do what he was told to do, "Sir, We only need one thing from you, We need you to strike the enemy tomorrow morning." he told the Kings. He knew the Empire had suffered a devastated defeat at the hands of the enemy occupying Alnus Hill but the Allied Kingdoms didn't need to know that.

At this point, one of the Kings stood up with his head held high, "Very well, then my Army shall be the spearhead of the attack." he announced.

"Hold that, let my Army take the lead this time." Another King protested in favor of his army.

"Now wait a moment, let my Army be at the forefront of this."

"Oh no, I insist."

It wasn't long for the Command Tent to erupt in debate on whose army is going to lead the assault. While the Kings bickered, Lord Duran remained calm and quietly thought about the situation. For Duran, something wasn't adding up.

The Imperial messenger smirked in response directed at the Kings, naturally it came off as delight because of the Kings' eagerness but what was in store for them truly gave the messenger a reason to smirk, "Tomorrow morning, Alnus Hill will be waiting." He told them before taking his leave.

Eventually the Kings' bickering ended with everyone finding a compromise, "It shall be a glorious day." the first King proclaimed.

"Perhaps, but my Army is all you'll ever need." The third King reassured.

The Commander next to Duran appeared displeased, "Ashame, this should be our time to shine." he spoke. Clearly he would've wanted to be the first to charge into enemy territory and reclaim Alnus, such an act would make history.

Duran seemed content with the situation, "The Enemy Army has only ten-thousand men. We outnumber them 30:1, I don't think being first in battle will be very distinguished." he told the Commander reassuring him that such a small force would pose little threat for such a large alliance.

"Where else would the glory be? It being the first to sound the retreat?" The Commander questioned. To even think about what Duran said, the Commander couldn't fathom any other glory.

Being the experienced leader of his Kingdom, Lord Duran compared those battles in times past, "In all my years, we've never seen such a foe." he admitted, though in times past there were much larger armies, even the barbarians, raiders, and bandits had enough man power to withstand an assault.

The Commander suddenly bursted out laughing in response, "Even Lord Duran, The Lion of the Royal State of Elbe, can't keep the ravages of time from catching up with him." he says before continuing to laugh.

Duran kept his composure from being mildly jabbed for his age, "Even so, there have been rumors of Mages in White Armor spreading around the Empire." he explained. At first he dismissed the rumors but the more he heard about them from others he began considering them, "It has been said that these Warriors have Magic Rods that can shoot bolts of light."

Stowing his laugh into a chuckle, The Commander folded his arms with an argumentative pose, "I have heard the rumors as well but we simply cannot guarantee that these rumors are true. It could all just be a coincidence." he stated.

"Yes, Rumors are more or less true but with the situation at Alnus, something is amiss." Duran defended sounding unsure about the rumors but reassured himself with Alnus, "Even now, more rumors are being spread about these White Knights, this is more than just a coincidence. We should tread carefully."

 **The Following Morning**

With the Day started, the Sun shining, the many of young soldiers eager to beat the barbarians at Alnus Hill. Legions upon Legions stood at the ready and awaited one word.

The Kine that would lead the charge took a glance behind him, seeing everyone in formation brought him a sense of pride to know that he would be able to repeal the invaders with such a large army. The King then looked forward towards Alnus, "Forward!" He shouted with an order. His horse took the first step and started trotting to Alnus.

Following their King's orders, the many soldiers yelled a war cry before they all started marching. The sounds of boots hitting the ground and the metal clanging against gear filled the battlefield for the time being. Human formations weren't the only ones there, there were pockets of non-humans scattered across the field as well with the intent of taking Alnus at their human masters orders. With such a large Army going against a small contingent, this was going to be a decisive battle or so they think.

Not far from the battlefield at a high enough vantage point, sat a small concealed position along with a 6-man squad of troops. These troops were camouflaged but these were no JSDF soldiers but were Guardian Scout Troopers. These Scout Troopers were the same ones that first encountered the GATE, all with camo armor save for one which had a red stripe and red detailing.

Two of the scout troopers were headed towards the supposed battlefield, one of them; a regular, and the lead scout, "Hey Capt'n, What's the deal?" the scout questioned, "I thought we were supposed to head back to the FOB?"

The lead scout; the Captain, sighed in response showing that displeasure with the job he was given, "I thought so too but we were ordered to recon the area known as Alnus, the main GATE of this world." he answered. After spending time away from the FOB just to configure all of the Relay Comms was getting to him, he barely managed to relax before being ordered away regarding the Relay Comms.

The regular scout paused for a moment, "Isn't the Japanese Military stationed there?" he questioned as he continued on.

The Scout Captain was already ahead by now, started ascending up a hill, "We're only surveying the area." he told his subordinate.

Upon reaching the peak of the hill, both scout troopers went to prone position to keep low and crawled forward for a better view. From a distance, the camouflage provided cover for the scouts unless one was close enough to spot them. This was a perfect spot for overwatch which was no more than one mile away, the two scouts could see thousands of soldiers scattered across the field.

"Shit, that's a lot of foot soldiers." The regular scout commented upon seeing the troops march towards Alnus Hill to reclaim it.

"40'000, maybe more." The Captain said as he brought out binoculars to scan the range of the field, "If this was close range, the Japanese Military don't stand a chance but the Japanese Military won't give them the benefit of getting that close."

The other scout simply watched the legions of troops march before realizing what his Captain said, "Those men are unknowingly walking into a death trap." he responded with a little bit of disbelief and a sense of pity. Medieval Warfare mixed with Modern Warfare was more or less common the Spiritual Realm because the Three Factions all had Orders which often used swords but the difference was Spiritual Energy was used to give the Order Members the advantage, However this was not the case with the Legions walking into hails of gunfire.

The Captain then pulled out a tripod to place his binoculars on, "I should record this for reviewing later." he stated as he clipped the device to the tripod and pressed a button on top.

Back at the main Allied Kingdoms camp, Lord Duran emerged from his tent, "It's about time we join them on the battlefield." he said taking a look at the Sun which was a common way to tell the time. Upon saying his, an Imperial Messenger arrived to meet Lord Duran and knelt before him.

"Your Majesty, It's the other Kingdoms. They've departed to assault Alnus Hill, and Lord Rigu is set to join them." He relayed the message he was suppose to deliver.

"And the Imperial Troops?" Duran questioned wondering it the Imperial Army was going to assist in today's siege.

The messenger's expression remained stoic but the silence he gave made it unsure, "My Lord, No Imperial Troops. None have been sighted on the hill." he finally answered.

"What was that?!" Shocked, Duran was taken backed with surprise.

Meanwhile back at Alnus, The few Kings leading the first assault on Alnus began noticing the lack of Imperial troops that were suppose to assist in retaking Alnus Hill.

One of the Kings scanned the area around him, "Why don't I see the Imperial Army?" he asked.

"They're not here, sir." The King's subordinate beside him answered.

A bit surprised, the King looked displeased, "That can't be." he stated with disbelief.

As the soldiers of the Allied Kingdoms continued to march, they began passing signs posted by the JSDF which formed a line around the Hill. The troops merely ignored the sign and continued to march, some of the non-humans dismissed the sign and trampled over them showing little regard for the etiquette of the JSDF.

Unbeknownst to them, loud thumps sounded in the distance and before long the skies started screaming which cause many of the Allied Kingdom's troops to look up into the heavens. Upon looking up, explosions began erupting around the perimeter of Alnus. Within seconds, Legions of troops were decimated long before the battle has even begun. The Kings that were leading the charge were caught in the radius of the explosions.

Lord Duran had just arrive with haste only to find a battlefield riddled with constant explosions, "Impossible!" Duran cried as he pulled his horse to a stop up on a hill, "Is Alnus Hill erupting around us?" he questioned.

Almost promptly, the explosions ceased and the smoke cleared revealing a devastating aftermath. The field looked as it would after a large battle, Bodies, arms, and legs littered the field. What would normally take a full day to achieve what was seen was done in a matter of seconds, only the most destructive form of magic would level entire legions like this.

Once the smoke cleared, Lord Duran saw what happened as a result of the devastation. One of Duran's men couldn't stomach the sight and nearly threw up his breakfast, "Where's Alguna's King? Where's the King of Moutaren? Where the hell is Rigu?!" Duran questioned as the scanned the debris.

Shortly afterwards, Another attempt was underway to march towards Alnus however the remaining forces were slaughtered just as the first group was. Rushing the Hill was a failure because they couldn't get past the killzone as the JSDF Tanks would fire barrages of High Explosive Rounds at the oncoming legions. Not even the few mages within the ranks of Allied Kingdoms could get in range to be about to use their magic against such an enemy.

The Allied Kingdoms took to striking Alnus Hill from multiple sides and even in the air. Just when they thought they had air superiority, their Dragoons and Wyverns were gun down in a hail of bullets, *BURRR~B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B* Sounded the JSDF Anti-Air defenses as the Dragoons came into range. The bodies of the Wyverns would from the sky and eventually litter an area just outside of Alnus.

Hours come to pass and the Sun was already setting, The Allied Kingdoms were forced to withdraw and recuperate their forces. Back at the Allied Kingdom's Command Tent, the remaining leaders stood around a regional map of Alnus, all of them with humiliated expressions.

"We've brought over 100'000 of our own troops but half of them are already gone. How can this be happening?!" One of the remaining Kings questioned in dismay, "What is his majesty's army doing and why aren't they here?!"

"Even the Imperial Army is no match for this opponent. Falling back might be the only option left." Another King added.

"Retreat is not an option, Gentlemen." Duran reassured the rest of the Kings, "For the Realm, we must strike back."

Slamming both his hands on the table in front, One of the Kings appeared irritated, "Lord Duran, We neither have the men nor the materials." he argued.

Duran paused for a second before speaking up, "A night raid might give us the advantage." he defended, "The New Moon is tonight. If we take advantage of the dark and come in from the side of the Hill blocking out stars, We should be able to make our approach."

 **Alnus Hillside, Guardian Scouts**

Back at the Guardian position just outside the battlefield, The Guardians continued to provide overwatch. Now that it was dark out, these scouts were pretty much invisible thanks to their camouflage.

One of the scouts kept switching his visor settings to adjust his point of view but to no avail, "Damn, it's almost pitch-black." he commented before giving up.

The Scout Captain also began to notice how dark it was getting, especially where they were in particular. He then reached into his back pouch and pulled out what appeared big square binoculars, "Switch to Etherials." The Captain ordered before slipping the device onto the face of his Scout Helmet, the device itself clipped into the sun visor.

"Roger." The Guardian Scouts acknowledged.

The sounds of armor rustling filled the air as the Scouts reached for their devices followed by clicking noises once they attached the device. The Device itself acted as a mixed form of night-vision and thermal optics, it allowed it's user to view living essences and souls in real time revealing a aura outline around all things.

Upon activating the Ethereal Device, Columns of men's souls glimmered and could be seen down below the hill where they were quietly moving across, "Uh Sir, There's a mass converging on the JSDF encampment." One of the scouts stated reading his rifle.

Seeing this too, The Scout Captain see what was likely going to happen, "They're gonna be blindsided." He said before getting up to take a knee, "Quick, launch the flares." he told his men before reaching for his holster.

The Scouts merely looked to each other in confusion, "We have those?" One of them finally questioned.

"Fool! Use your pistol!" The Captain irritably answered pulling out his pistol, flicking a switch, and held the trigger allow it to gather energy in the form of a orb at the end of the barrel.

Upon hearing this, the others followed suit and before long the energy orbs were launched into the sky igniting up like flares. Unlike the traditional flares used by modern military, the Guardian flares acting much like miniature Suns.

The sudden appearance of a bright sun caught everyone by surprise, especially Lord Duran, "What?! Such Brightness, What sorcery is this?!" He frantically questioned, "Where is that coming from?!" Before long, The troops of the Allied Kingdoms were frozen with confusion.

The Scouts started to position themselves defensively, "Sir, Permission to engage?" One of them kindly requested already zeroing on a target.

Of course, the second they open fire, the energy bolts would act as tracer rounds and the Guardians weren't equip to hold off waves of enemies. Luckily, The Scouts had something equivalent to a suppressor, "Switch your weapons, pick your targets, and stay low." The Captain told his men before modifying his rifle.

"Yes sir." The Scouts Acknowledged doing the same.

As the enemy columns panicked, some of them appeared to have something hit against their helmets before falling over dead, those standing beside them would feel a sting.

Seeing his men drop around him, Lord Duran's strategy seemed to be a failure, "No..." Duran grumbled before promptly signaling his horse to dart towards Alnus, "Ha! All troops forward! Keep moving! Take the fight to them!" He exclaimed allowing his troops to regain their composure.

All the mean while, the JSDF weren't expecting to be blindsided from this side of the hill so late into the night and began to scramble upon seeing the Guardian flares.

Lord Duran had started to charge the hill even if it was going to be the last thing he did, "Keep going!" He cried out to his men behind him.

As he pressed on, a line of orbs ignited from the hill as the Tank Stationaries fired the first barrages of High Explosive Rounds. The "Orbs" struck the ground around Lord Duran and his horse before the Tanks began firing a second barrage.

Unfazed, Lord Duran continued forward, "Yehaw! Follow me!" He cried once more ignoring the blasts around him from the second barrage.

Peering through the visor and into the scope, One of the Scouts lined up the crosshairs with the Lord Duran's horse and fired his weapon, the scout's rifle vibrated first before sounding a muffled pitiful "pew". In an instant of the firing of the scout rifle, the horse was struct through the head and tumbled under the weight of Duran and his armor. Fortunately, the horse tumbled into a barrier of barbed wire with Lord Duran being flung forward over the barbed wire.

"My Lord!" One of his men called out as he approached the barbed wire. He like so many others were at the front of the columns and likely the first to die.

"Wait, let me help you!" Another one of Duran's men cried.

A third man began signaling those behind him, "We need more shields!" he shouted prompting those around him to form a barrier around the King of Elbe.

Be this time, the Guardian Flares had burnt themselves out and darkness shrouded the rushing columns allowing them the upper hand for the moment.

Lord Duran was brought up to his feet by his men surrounding by shields. Upon getting to his feet, he shoved back the foot soldier who had helped him, "Get out! Everyone get out!" He demanded. A moment's hesitation was all that was needed to break the offense and this was it, the skies lit up as the JSDF launched flares for their own though unlike the blueish-white Guardian flares, The JSDF flares were orange in nature.

Back at the JSDF position, Self-Defense Infantry rushed to entrenched and prone positions. With the flares lighting the way, the enclosing enemy were clearly visible and in range. A female JSDF personal immediately took notice, "Enemy made it past the Kill Zone!" She addressed preparing her Minimi LMG. Written at the back of her helmet on the strap holding her helmet cover read "Hafū Metal Jacket".

"Don't get them an inch more!" Shouted another JSDF personal whom was also preparing his Minimi LMG.

Pulling the hammer back of her Minimi, The Female Soldier was now ready, "Roger that! Engaging!" She acknowledged before squeezing the trigger and letting the rumble recoil into her shoulder.

Just as Lord Duran rallied his troops to prepare charging Alnus, the lot of them were mowed down despite their shields being up. To the soldiers of the Allied Kingdoms, this was some kind of new unseen magic used by the invading forces and not even their best defenses could prepare them for this.

Duran calmly walked through the hail of gunfire as his men were cut down and dropped around him. As he walked one of the bullets ricocheted off the face of his helmet. He stopped and picked up one of his fallen archer's bow and an arrow, "Gods damn you!" He exclaimed before launching the arrow towards the enemy at Alnus.

Back at the JSDF position, The Female personal with the "Hafū Metal Jacket" written on her helmet stepped away from her post because her weapon jammed. Just as she got up and turned around, something struck the side of her helmet cutting a scrape into the helmet cover, "The hell?" she said to herself in confusion as she looked around to see what struck her and sure enough she had seen a arrow next to her.

Back to Lord Duran, He stood there in the midst of the chaos with his head held down. Everything he and those before him did ended in a complete failure, this enemy was far greater than anything these people had seen and Duran contemplated on his actions, "How could you...what did we do to deserve this?" He questioned himself. On the brink of insanity, he started to laugh hysterically and then exploded from one of the JSDF Tank Barrages.

 **The Following Day**

After the failure of the night raid, the Allied Kingdoms were defeated and were routed back to their own nations in humiliation. 2nd Lieutenant Yōji Itami was scheduled for patrol and recon. He walked through the devastation of the field. Bodies, Craters, and Vulture's littered the former battlefield. Itami stopped to scan the area and his eyes were set upon a dead soldier, whom Itami spotted a gold ring. He briefly thought about the wife of this soldier before moving on to pick up a broken piece of what appeared to be a bow.

"So did you hear the report?" A voice sounded from behind Itami, It was Specialist Kurata, "Intelligence say they lost 60'000." he said with a monotoned voice.

"Plus 60'000 in Ginza, Two Army Corps worth of men." Itami added looking over the bow piece.

Kurata rose eyebrow at his response, "Don't tell me your worried about them." He stated.

"120'000 people, why would they send so many?" Itami countered before turning to the battlefield, "What kind of country are we fighting?" he asked aloud before throwing the bow piece at a flock of vultures off in the distance.

Meanwhile at another part of battlefield, More personal reconned the area, "Hey, Tomita! Need a hand?!" A female personal shouted a question towards another while holding up a limb.

Tomita took notice of the limb and a cheery smile of the female personal, "You have a twisted sense of humor, Ilya." He told her as he casually walked over.

"Meh, whatever helps to cope, after all, we just murdered like 60'000 men in a few days. Think about that for a sec, then think about the lives they had back home..." Ilya explained and trailed off prompting Tomita to think about the actions of the JSDF.

Of course, Tomita fell quiet and thought about for a minute.

"...then again, they came through the GATE and killed our citizens." Ilya interrupted Tomita's train of thought completely throwing the moral question under the bus. Ilya simply dropped the limb on the ground and continued her recon.

Not giving Tomita a chance to respond, He decided to pick up a helmet and look over it's design. On the side of the helmet, a small little pellet hole is seen but barely noticeable from a distance. It was to small for a standard 7.62 NATO round and almost perfect for anything else. Curious, He decided to investigate.

After briefly doing some basic CSI, he followed the trail which lead him up a hill located off to the side away from the battlefield. Upon reaching the top, it was clear this spot was recently used but obviously not the JSDF but someone else. Tomita realized he lacked any "real" evidence to confirm someone other than the JSDF was there, he then dismissed the area and continued his recon.

 **The Imperial Capital, The Imperial Palace of Emperor Molt**

Within the main chamber of the palace, Emperor Molt was being informed on the progress of the Allied Kingdoms, "Your Imperial Majesty, The damage sustained by the Allied Kingdom's forces is expected to reach over 100'000 dead and injured. The defeated armies have no officers remaining and are making their way back home on their own." Marquis Marcus explained to the Emperor.

Pleased with the news, Emperor Molt grinned, "Mmhm, Yes. Just the way I conceived of it, the potential threat to our quibbling neighbors coming to raze the Empire is successfully been eliminated." He smugly stated confirming what he planned worked perfectly, "Torch all the towns between us and Alnus Hill, Poison the wells and herd their livestock this way, and burn the crops. That should keep their armies from eating our food and water, them we can plan a counter-attack of our own." he ordered the Marquis.

Upon hearing this, Marcus rose his head, "So a scorched-earth policy then, but the tax revenue would decrease." the Marquis argued for the sake of the economy.

The Emperor scoffed, "Hmph, Just cancel a few planned parades and postpone the plans for the imperial villa." he said in his defense.

Marquis Marcus nodded in response but needed to address another issue, "But there's another problem, Your Majesty. A movement is forming behind Marquis Casel to replace you at the Head of the Senate." He explained. Marquis Marcus was a bit fearful to how the Emperor would react.

Feeling tickled, Emperor Molt sounded a laugh, "Ha! Imagine how much service I'll get from the Senate when I expose this travesty. Let the Private Council I'll be needing their services right away." He told Marcus. Emperor Molt wasn't concerned with feeble attempts to remove him, after all he is a cunning and intelligent leader to have been in power for so long however he will soon be facing a new kind leadership from the other side of both GATEs.

Just as Marcus was about to acknowledge the Emperor, The large doors to the main chamber swung open, "Your Majesty!" A voice called out and echoed through the hall, It was Princess Piña Co Lada, having returned from her trip safely.

"My darling daughter." Emperor Molt greeted upon seeing the princess, "What can I do for you?" he kindly asked.

"It's about Alnus, Of course." Piña answered, "It is my understanding we were soundly defeated at the GATE, and that all the armies of our subordinate nations were routed on Alnus Hill just a few days later." She explained what she has been told by others or at least the news that's been going around. Being straightforward as she was, she pressed for answered, "What is your majesty doing in reponse to this situation?" she asked with concern but with assertiveness.

Speaking on behalf of the Emperor, Marquis Marcus stepped forward, "Obviously we should regather our forces and create a plan of counter att-" ; "Create a plan!? The enemy is on our door step! We must move now!" Piña interrupted Marcus with an aggressive tone before demand action.

"Piña my dearest, you're right. You're absolutely correct, however the issue at hand is that unfortunately we know very little about the enemy forces occupying the Hill." The Emperor assured the Princess understanding where she was coming from. Before speaking again, he had realization and an idea, "Why don't we try this, Take all of your Knights from the Order of the Rose and scout the situation for us." He told Pina with a smile that almost looked like a smirk.

Surprised, Piña was a little taken back, "What? Do you mean it? You want me to take my people?" she questioned whether or not the Emperor was merely jesting.

"Well why not? You've been longing to prove that your Knights are doing move than marching and color guard." Emperor Molt reassured, "So here's your chance."

Flustered, Piña knelt down in response, "Consider the mission done, Your Majesty." she acknowledged.

With all that said and done, There was one more thing Emperor Molt needed to address, "You may want to enlist the Aid of the "The White Knights of Gardeeyan" we been hearing so much about." he told her.

"The White Knights?" She asked with a confused look. This was her first time hearing of this "Gardeeyan".

"Yes. There are a lot of rumors surrounding this mysterious order but we have reason to believe they're coming from somewhere between the Dumas Mountain Range and Tybe Mountain." The Emperor explained. Based on the many rumors and information given to him by the scouts, it would seem these Knights are based in these regions coming to and from.

"That's South-East of Alnus." Piña answered. It was understood that Tybe Mountain was south of Alnus Hill and the Dumas Mountains east. It was easy enough but that would risk running into the enemy occupying Alnus, "Consider it done." She stated. While it was rather risky, any help would he accepted if it means taking back the Hill.

 **Earth, The United States of America, The White House**

Pack away into the Oval Office, The President of the United States of America, Dirrell, worked tirelessly since the arrival of the GATE. The arrival of the GATE brought many things to light but also busted a bunch of other things, the World was blindsided and because of it politics was beginning to get involved especially with Japan and it's government.

One of the President's aides came into the room with a folder and placed it on the table, "Mr. President, here's the 6th report regarding the GATE in Tokyo." he stated.

President Dirrell merely skimmed through the report, "Mr. Crealon. According to this report, The Japanese Army move an entire division through the GATE, only to box themselves in like a bunch of baby turtles." he said placing the folder on the table.

"The main mission regarding this is purely to evaluate politics, on top of that the only actions the JSDF have done is strictly strengthening their defenses." Mr. Crealon answered the president's question.

President Dirrell couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Oh my god, They're missing out aren't they, but seriously what in the hell are they hesitating for?" He laughed.

The Aide took to adjusting his glasses before speaking the logic that would make most sense, "Well Mr. President, to put my statement bluntly, Japan has learned from the World War. Although they have an overwhelming fighting power, to completely gain control over those vast areas of land, just using weapons isn't enough. What they can do now is, after completely grasping the political situations of the Special Region, and adopt the strategy of suppressing key targets." Crealon explained to make sure the President clearly understood.

"In other words, the Japanese Army is investigating the situation in the Special Region right now?" President Dirrell question wanting confirmation.

The Aide nodded, "It is as you say, Mr. President. Prime Minister Houjou seems to be a cautious man and by not rushing things, he is now taking things step by step." he replied.

"My dear aide, the GATE is a new uncharted land. They've stumbled on a gold mine of untouched resources and they're just going to let it sit there? That does nobody any good." Expressing disappointment that the GATE was in Japan instead of America.

"Don't worry, Mr. President. America is allies with Japan. With our similar values and our strong economic ties, the benefits reaped from the Special Region should be open to America. It's about time we work towards that." The Aide reassured the President and suggested to work closely with Japan in effort to gain access to the GATE.

"It's not enough though." The President complained, "Look, We already got guys in Okinawa, just send them in." he suggested another option which would be much quicker.

Before Crealon could answer, a third voice spoke up first whom was looking at a laptop screen and overheard the conversation, "I would advise against that, Mr. President." The individual said in regards to deploying US troops in the GATE.

Hearing this, President Dirrell rose an eyebrow, "Mr. Garneau, Do you have anything to add?" he asked the individual.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Garneau answered diverting his attention from the screen to the President and the Aide, "While the EU, Russia, and China are all waiting for Japan to "Drop the Ball", We're still busy wrapping up things in the Middle East. Overextending our military efforts will not go over very well with PR, Public Support is already dropping as is." He explained.

The President looked unpleased with the newsflash, "Hmph, What the hell do you suppose we do then?" Dirrell questioned reaching for his coffee, "We cannot just continue to supply Japan with weapons and ammunition, We need something more." he said taking a whiff of his coffee before drinking it.

Mr. Garneau rolled his eyes in response as the President didn't understand what he meant, "All I'm saying is we're in the same boat as Russia and China because Japan is tactfully maneuvering around corners instead of cutting it, They are isolating themselves around the GATE." Garneau told the President being a little more clearer than he did a minute ago, "Much like the discovery of the Americas, Japan will most likely prosper much like the British and Spanish Empires when they found the Americas."

President Dirrell just about slammed his coffee cup on the table making a loud noise which caught the attention of most of the room, "Do you honestly believe Japan will solely depend what's on the other side of the GATE!?" He agrued with a fury.

Garneau's expression didn't change nor did he flinch, "Let's not rule anything out, we just need to prepare for any contingencies." He assured the President.

Crealon acknowledged Garneau with a nod in agreement, "Right, We need to execute an adequate plan for when the situation calls for it." agreeing with Garneau's logic, Mr. Crealon too saw a need for contingency.

President Dirrell grumbled under his breath. He couldn't find an agruement in his defense because he knew Garneau was right to some degree but what would the United States do if something like Garneau presented happened, politics were never easy and President Dirrell needed to act fast.

Much time has come to pass and everyone went their own way for the night and eventually push for results the next day. Mr. Garneau was on his bed reading a book and went it came for sleep he did just that however went be tucked himself under the blankets and shut his eyes, an ethereal projection of a younger Garneau appeared just at the bedside in what was considered an out-of-body experience.

Placing a hand on the wall beside him, a symbol of a Spades faded in under his palm. Removing his hand, the Spades expanded up into a window temporary removing the wall behind it, like creating portal into the 4th Dimension.

The window remained blank until an individual appeared, a male wearing a military uniform, looking like he was expecting a call, "Garneau." The man greeting much like an officer would, "How are the Americans?" he asked much like an officer would expecting a report.

Garneau, saluted in Brotherhood fashion; a closed fist over the chest, "Colonel, The Americans are getting antsy. Right now, they're looking for ways and loopholes to get involved in the GATE." he answered.

The Colonel appeared pleased in response, "So far you're doing a good job, keep it up." he acknowledged giving a complement.

"Of course." Garneau stated taking the complement with a nod, "How are the Chinese, Russians, and the EU reacting?" Garneau questioned.

The Colonel briefly looked away from Garneau's eyes to look at something out of sight before returning to Garneau, "The same as the Americans, but the main issue is regarding the UN. Half the world want the Blue Helmets inside the GATE." The Colonel relayed only what he felt was necessary, "Thankfully that's not going to happen." he said in relief.

Garneau slightly dropped his head off to one side, "Thankfully..." he remarked sounding a bit bothered.

The Colonel caught on to the tone Garneau used, "Is something the matter?" The Colonel asked, "Speak your mind."

Taking a deep breath, Garneau spoke, "I heard rumors that we, The Brotherhood, have a contingent inside the GATE, that another one opened up in the Spiritual Realm." he said. This information wasn't heard by Earth's governments but as Spiritual gossip during Garneau's leave in spirit form, which usually occurred when his physical body slept.

"The rumors are true enough, however General Zol of 1st Division is limiting information that's getting passed around. The Colonel in charge of Mainland Japan is keeping a tightly sealed lip." The Colonel answered confirming the rumors were true enough.

"What makes you think that Colonel's in charge of the GATE? For all we know General Zol could've appointed another Colonel or at least a Commander of that Section." Garneau argued, understanding standard protocol dictates that there is to be an officer in charge of any military operation.

The Colonel then rose an eyebrow at the notion, "Hmm, an interesting thought." He responded then brought his hand to his chin.

Curious, Garneau pressed on, "Have we heard anything?" He asked.

"No, Nothing." The Colonel answered dropping his hand and placing both to his hips, "However, based on reports being passed around, we detecting the Assassins and the Guardians are severely limiting their activity since the appearance of the GATE." The Colonel explained.

This was rather odd behavior for both the Assassins and the Guardians, especially since the Ginza Incident, "Are they planning something?" Garneau asked wondering if the lack of activity meant something big.

"At this point we're not sure. Normal circumstances would reveal a pattern in their operations but they've stopped entirely, not just in Japan but world wide." The Colonel told Garneau with concern. He was right given that this happened before with the Assassins. The Colonel sighed with stress, "I don't like any more than you do. We need to be prepared if and when they strike but also be ready in case another one of those GATEs appear."

Garneau nodded in acknowledgement, Agreeing with his Colonel that whatever was being planned needed to be stopped. If either the Guardians, Assassins, or both struck the GATE in Ginza then it could easily be passed as a terrorist attack and despite the best efforts of Japan's Public Safety, it's aftermath would involve foreign agencies to investigate the attack which in turn would allow nations like the US access to the GATE. Garneau's job would get more complicated because of it.

 **Japan, Tokyo, Ichigaya Center**

The Lutheran Ichigaya Center, a casual hotel with considerable prices for the common individual. This hotel is nothing specially like so many others in the city but it does have it's fair share of business, however it does have a darker side. It is run by a secret group operating behind the scenes, benefactors so-to-speak. These benefactors could pass off as the Yakuza but these benefactors act on a world wide scale, owning and funding thousands of hotels ranging in low, middle, and high classes. Despite this influence, they are only rivaled by the Guardians and the Brotherhood, who also operate behind the scenes.

Beneath the building of the Lutheran Ichigaya Center, under the streets is an addition put there by the benefactors to act as a base of operations. The only accessible way into this addition is by elevator which had a special function that would allow certain individuals entry.

The elevator door opened to this underground addition with a single individual wearing a dark suit pacing through the hall and into a large room with dozens of individuals working on paperwork, huddled into groups, and some physically training. Many in the large room wore a dark suit but some also wore black tattered cloaks.

The Individual paid both attention to those around him and headed straight for a separate room, the doors to this room carried a symbol; A skull with a dagger strike though the eye socket, The symbol of the Assassins. Entering the room he stood in front of a desk and stood assertively, "Report." a voice told the individual spinning around in his chair revealing to be the high ranking Assassin.

The individual the stood at attention, "Mentor, The Guardians are liming their activity because the Brotherhood presence is increasing around Ginza on a daily basis." The individual explained, "Though admittedly we too are limiting are activity as well." she continued before giving an embarrassed expression.

The Mentor in the chair scoffed in response, "The Brotherhood are quite paranoid." He remarked.

"After the "Tower Incident" in 2010 with the Late-Mentor Raikes, I don't blame them." Responded the lesser Assassin.

Understanding what was meant, the Mentor scoffed again in response at the mention of Raikes, "Mentor Raikes was a zealot with an extremist view. He will be a forever stain in our Order's History. His actions damaged the legitimacy of our Cause." Expressing much distain for the Late-Mentor. Having done her done on reporting the activities of the Assassins and Brotherhood he noticed she still stood there like there was more, "Was that all to report?"

The Lesser Assassin nodded, "Our members within the JSDF are being sent to the Other Side of the GATE, Their mission is strictly observation." She announced.

"Good." The Mentor appeared pleased, "This'll give us an idea of what it's like on the Other Side."

"Sir." The Lesser Assassin called, "Huntress Raikes is among them. She is likely using an alias to conceal her identity." She told the Mentor with a serious expression. Huntress Raikes was the youngest daughter of the Raikes family out of 12 siblings and the last survivor of the Family.

The Mentor sighed before covering his eyes with his hand, "They're tenacious to the Cause, those Raikes." he muttered. The Raikes had a long history with the Assassins going back to the Foundation when former Guardians became the first Assassins, since then the Raikes have remained true to the cause even if methods were considered extreme.

At this moment, another Assassin came into the room and quietly whispered something to the first Assassin. The two had a brief exchange before the second Assassin left. The Mentor removed his hand and awaited for an explanation to which the First Assassin obliged, "There's rumors that the Brotherhood may already be inside the GATE." The Assassin relayed the message, "There isn't much we can do if the rumors turns out to be true."

Ever since the Tower Incident caused by the Late-Mentor Raikes, the Brotherhood has been more prominent with their activities. The Mentor felt discourage knowing that the Assassins being sent beyond the GATE would have no way of confirming those rumors nor be prepared, on top of that the Brotherhood presence at the GATE would make it impossible to pass through. A "Damned if you do, Damned if you don't" situation. The Mentor sighed and slumped back in his chair, "There's too much at risk to do anything, so I suppose we wait." he said defeatedly, at which point the Lesser Assassin nodded in response and left the room. In light of this new "information", these rumors left the future uncertain and the Mentor understood that.

* * *

 **The more you know:**

 **Assassin Rank: Mentor - Mentors are the equivalent to Military Generals, Mentor is the second highest rank one could achieve in the Assassin Order however an individual must be elected to become a Mentor. Each Mentor is responsible for governing several regions, commanding hundreds of legions, and representing their House of which they were elected by.**

 **Assassin Rank: Huntress/Hunter - The Hunter Rank of the Assassin is nothing more than a title for a skilled Assassin, it's almost inviting a challenge for the seasoned killer to put their skills over the limit.**

 **The Tower Incident - A battle fought involving the Assassin House of Raikes and the Brotherhood Brigade of Aluris at the base of a large weaponized tower. The incident was instigated by the Assassins when they sought to cleanse the Spiritual Realm with the "Tower of Babel". When a young aspiring Brotherhood member uncovered the plot, he enlisted the help of his mentor's brigade to stop it, the battle ended when the Tower was destroyed. This would cause a diplomatic crisis between the Brotherhood and the rest of the Assassins, but this would act as catalyst for the Brotherhood to start the Second Great War.**

 **Spiritual Realm Equipment/Ability: Etherial Vision - Much like Night Vision and Thermal Optics, Etherial Vision projects Spiritual Aura and Essences in real time. Order Members of the Guardians, Assassins, and Brotherhood can use this ability to detect a manner of all things but in doing so would require a lot of Spiritual Energy. Following the Second Great War, the Armed Forces from the 3 Factions have built devices around high requirement.**


	7. Chapter 7

_Some Context:_

Pure Form - A Pure Form is essentially a Spirit that has taken the form of a human. Pure Forms make up the majority of the Guardian and the Assassin citizens. In contrast with a Ghost, A Pure Form has not had the luxury of living or dying. Pure Forms aren't born however they can still procreate through other means.

* * *

 **The Special Region, JSDF Encampment**

Once the JSDF had established a foothold in the Special Region, the next course of action is to recon the surrounding area and get a lay of the land. Those who'll be tasked with such an endeavor needed to be briefed by the Base's Operations Manager before being sent off on the mission.

Lieutenant Itami had been picked for the recon mission and was already being briefed, "...with this in mind, we need intelligence to decide future policy. Investigating their political based, religious faith, what kind of industries are the most prevalent in this world are at the top of our upcoming fact finding missions." The officer explained to Itami.

"Well that sounds like a great idea. Best of luck to whatever dummy get's that job." Itami acknowledged with a smile.

"Congratulations, Dummy. It's all yours." The officer responded back without hesitation.

The Lieutenant was taken back by the response, "Please, Not me." Itami replied.

"Huh?" the Officer questioned with confusion.

"I can't do something like that myself." Itami told the Officer.

The Officer pretty much rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, Dummy. We wouldn't entrust it to just you." He reassured Itami, "We already organized the 6 deep recon and surveillance we need, and you Lieutenant will command one of them. Your mission is to make contact with the inhabitants inside the disputed area and if you don't get your ass shot off, start a friendly relationship with them." The Officer explained further in detail how he would go about the recon.

Itami groaned, "Ugh, sure...I guess if that's an order." He discouraging said.

The Officer nodded, "It is, and as much as it pains me to say this. You are official in command of the 3rd deep recon and surveillance unit."

Eventually Itami was finished with the Officer's briefing and made his way outside. Once outside he found a squad-sized group huddled together.

Upon seeing Itami, the squad leader whistled, "Fall in." he called out, "3rd Recon Team, ready to go, Sir." The squad leader acknowledged. He was identified as Sergeant Major Kuwabara.

Approaching the Sergeant Major, Itami rose a hand to greet him, "Hey Old School, How we lookin' here?" he kindly asked.

Standing from left to right, Itami peered over the name tabs of each soldier; Specialist Kurata, Sergeant First Class Tomita, Private Tozu, Sergeant Katsumoto, Private Higashi, Sergeant Kuribayashi, Sergeant Kasukezaki, Master Sergeant Nishina, Private Sasagawa, Private Furata, Sergeant Major Kuwabara, and Sergeant First Class Kurokawa.

Itami looked unsure of himself, "Uh...thanks for falling in, or whatever. I'm Lieutenant Itami, Nice to meet you." He sheepishly introduces himself, "Oh gawd, I miss one train on the way to sexy Shubashi and now I'm here, with a platoon full of dudes." He mutters to himself before directing his attention to the crowd, "Alright, let's get cracking folks."

One of the Sergeants shot Itami a look of confusion, "You're kidding?" Kuribayashi said to herself, unamused by the base's choice for a leader, "This is the dipshit they sent us?"

At this point, Ilya, who was also standing beside Kuribayashi overheard this and leaned over, "I like him." she told her.

Before Kuribayashi could respond, the Sergeant Major turned around to address the squad, "Mount up!" he announced and motioned them to load up unto the vehicles.

Basically in an instant, everyone was loaded into their specific vehicles before heading out into the new world, a new frontier with new dangers than their previous world, after all a new journey begins after you've the first step.

 **Brotherhood FOB**

Back at the Brotherhood FOB, some things still have changed since sending out the Guardian Scouts to reconfigure the devices they put out. The Regiments stationed at the FOB have built training grounds and obstacle courses, with the help of the Imperial prisoners, the areas were outside the FOB and divided between the infantry and vehicles. Whatever was appropriate for this new world was in the training drilled such as; Scaling Walls, Storming Castles and Forts, Maneuvers and Close Range Engagements, Necessities to help with the invasion of this world. While the solders and troopers were training, the officers was left with the paper work mainly regarding Building Materials, Reports, etc.

Commander-Supreme Yuki was hard at work filing reports for approval and disapproval as they all went through her before being sent to the Spiritual Realm. Understandably, being the "Commander-and-Chief" like this would only be exhausting because not only one needs to look over paperwork but also manage the FOB and command soldiers, however for Yuki this is what she needed.

As Yuki worked, the Comms Personal approached the desk and dropped a box of folders, "Ma'am, here are some requests from the Spiritual Realm." She said withdrawing her hands, Yuki noticed one of her fingers was basically a stub severed at the joint. The Comms Personal smiled nonchalantly unaware that Yuki had taken notice.

Yuki stopped with her paperwork and pulled out a stamp and pad before skimming over the folders, "Denied, Denied, Denied..." Stamping them without consideration until she comes across one folder filled with papers, "Wow." she comments before flipping the folder open.

The Comms Personal patiently stands at ease as Yuki reads. After seeing Yuki roll her eyes numerous times, she starts to get curious, "Ma'am?" she calls out expression concern in the tone.

"Eisenreich's wrote a long-ass cover letter explaining..." Yuki answers before narrowing her eyes on a specific paragraph, "..."The Importance of a Beneficial Alliance" between the Brotherhood and the Reich. Basically they are requesting a presence here in this world." Yuki explains.

With her curiosity satisfied, The Comms Personal thought about the interaction between the Guardians and the Reich, "Oh, would that be a good idea though?" she asked.

"No, We're here with the Guardians and they don't know that yet." Yuki replied as she shook her head, "Those Fascists will probably start shooting the Guardians once they see them."

"Of course."

Yuki then stamps the Eisenreich folder as denied and then started going through the folders again marking them as denied until she came across another on that caught her eye, "Now here's an interesting one." Yuki she says aloud, "The Guardians are wanting to send a mediator between Brotherhood Officers and the Guardian troops. High Chancellor Armalec is requesting if we would accept a Chancellor." She explains and opens the folder and starts initialing at the ends of certain paragraphs before finally closing the folder and stamps it, "Accepted."

Before long, Yuki has gone through all of the requests folders. There were a total of 118 folders and those were only the ones that made it past the checkpoint in the Spiritual Realm, however despite the amount that were cleared only 4 were labelled as accepted. All the folders were placed back in the box but none were ever explained why they were rejected and denied, those duties would go to some poor soul, "I'll see to these that they are delivered back to the Spiritual Realm...after they're completed." The Comms Personal sighed as she took the box. The Comms Personal had taken it upon herself to write a total of 114 individual pages explaining why the requests were denied.

Like a true Leader of the Brotherhood, the irrelevant paperwork would often get pushed upon those serving underneath their leaders. A common practice for Brotherhood Officers.

 **On the road, 3rd Recon**

The third recon had had numerous stops already including several villages and passed by some landmarks like a Stonehenge. Considering the JSDF Vehicles were good on gas, they had put some good distance between where they are now and Alnus hill.

Itami, whom had been sitting in the passenger seat for a good couple of hours had been sight seeing the entire time, "It nice out here, the sky is so blue." He mentioned cheerfully looking out the window.

As the designated driver, Sergeant Kurata didn't seem to share the same enthusiasm, "You can get the same scenery in Hokkaido too y'know." He abruptly told Itami, "As for me, I was hoping to see Giant Talking Trees, Dragons, heck even a couple of Fairies, but all we seen so far are Humans and livestock."

Itami then remembered what Kurata had told him earlier, "Oh yeah, You got your Cat-Girl thing." he said.

Kurata smiled in response as an acknowledgement, "A Cat Girl or a Hot Little Witch, yeah, I could definitely go for one of those." he states with wishful thinking, "So what about you? Got yourself a preference?" he asked.

Itami paused to think about it, "Well, yeah. Magical Girls are pretty cool." He finally answered.

"Seriously?" Kurata remarked in disapproval, "Man, your standards are low." he commented which in-turn caused Itami to argue in defense.

Meanwhile in the other vehicles, Itami and Kurata's argument can be heard through the radio.

Kuribayashi, who had been one of the other designated drivers, showed much distain over the petty argument, "Oh dear god." she cringed as she had to hear what was being said.

 **Brotherhood FOB**

Back at the Brotherhood FOB, Commander-Supreme Yuki took to watching her soldiers train and practice drills. Perched up on an observation platform, She especially watched the close quarters combat in which Commander Jarrus trained the soldiers in Sword Fighting purpose being for fighting against Order Members but in this case would be against legionaries.

Yuki continued to watch intently until the Comms Personal approached her, "Commander-Supreme, We just received a contingent of reinforcements from the Spiritual Realm." She told the Commander-Supreme.

"What?! No, that can't be." Yuki exclaimed before looking in the direction of the GATE and sure enough there marched more Brotherhood Soldiers, "I thought I denied that request." Yuki said turning to the Comms Personal.

Pulling out a piece of paper, the Comms Personal begins looked over it, "You did, however the Council of Generals approved the request." She explained.

Yuki signs in response, "Very well..." she reluctantly acknowledges, "...who did they send?" She questions wondering who the Brotherhood Generals sent through the GATE.

"Let's see here..." The Comms Personal trails as she skims through the file for any indication but then her eyes widen in surprise, "...Oh? It looks like the 1st Marines, all from the 1st Corps."

A bit surprised too, Yuki turns to look at the Brotherhood contingent just arriving, "1st Corps Raiders? Really?" Upon closer inspection of the newly arrive soldiers, these Soldiers wore a brownish tan scheme of their armor.

The Comms Personal then held an excited expression, "That's not the best part; they're Veterans, like you. The majority of them hit the Guardian Beaches at the start of the Second Great War." She states.

"Huh." Yuki sounds, talk about a small world. While Yuki herself participated in the invasion of the Assassin Mainland with the 1st Airborne, these Brotherhood Marines took part in the invasion of the Guardian Mainland at the same time.

Just as the two watched the marine contingent finished coming through the GATE, a lone marine came up to the observation platform to meet with Yuki, "Commander-Supreme." The Marine greeted and saluted respectfully, "I'm Field Captain Oliver Mundy, honored to meet you."

Yuki gave a half-assed saluted back, "Please, the honor's all mine." she told the Marine.

It wasn't long for Yuki to join Captain Mundy and the rest of the Company-sized contingent. She briefed the Company on the ongoings of the Coalition, she explained to them what was and wasn't allowed, she also told them it wouldn't be long before they start sending out it's troops in all directions. This took most of the afternoon and by the time everything was said and done, the sun was setting and the Marines left their barracks.

Coming out of a large tent after all the Marines had left, Yuki turned to face the north and saw a stack of black smoke raising up off in the distance. She begins to wonder if that really was smoke or dark clouds, "Hey Soldier, You see that?" she asked a nearby Brotherhood soldier and points in the direction of the dark clouds.

The soldier carefully looks before answering, "That looks like smoke." he comments after coming to his conclusion.

"Hmm." Yuki sounds to think about then knows what she can do, "Jarrus!" she calls out.

Jarrus on the other hand had moved from close quarters training to moving materials for the Marines, "What!?" He calls back appearing from around a corner of a building.

"I want two Squads; One Brotherhood and One Guardian, prepped and ready for recon, all loaded into a FATTY and an IFFY." Yuki orders Jarrus. Normally, officers wouldn't accompany their soldiers and send someone else in their stead but Brotherhood Personal aren't normal officers and will always accompany their men.

"Yes Commander-Supreme." Jarrus acknowledges before leaving to find suitable squads and ready the vehicles.

The Commander-Supreme narrows her eyes as she stares intently into the dark clouds, though they were still a ways away, it was still too close for comfort. Black Smoke like that is undoubtably from a large fire, most likely a village raid and the Brotherhood FOB could be another potential target and rather than stay in the FOB Yuki decided to go check it out herself.

 **Edge of Coan Forest**

As the day was coming to an end, with the sun setting, Itami and his Third Recon needed to stop and set up a campsite soon before it got dark.

Tomita had a concern and noticed something peculiar, "I've been wondering, What're we doing with gear that's ancient history? I mean our vehicles seem pretty modern and up to date." he shared while looking at the equipment he donned on.

"Probably a cost management thing, They figure worst-case, we might have to ditch 'em and run like hell." Itami chimed in ever so casually.

Understanding what Itami said, Tomita looked over his gear once more, "So we were given weapons we can afford to lose." he remarked.

"Besides, all that new stuff has that gadgetry thats needs GPS." Itami continued, "No satellites out here, Imma right?"

"We're just bringing along what we need." Master Sergeant Kuwabara added as he too understood they only needed the essentials. He then directed his attention to a piece of paper, a map which the locals help mark, "Kurata, there should be a river coming up. Just follow along the banks and we should get a good look at the forest the locals were telling us about." Kuwabara said to the driver.

"Got it." Kurata acknowledged as they just hit a river bank.

As they drew closer to a forest following the river, a stack of black smoke could be seen rising up. The Third Recon pulled over to survey the area, never mind setting up camp. They cautiously walked over to a ledge just before the forest to where they could see the fires off in the distance.

Itami and his a few of his recon team stood side-by-side to observe the fires safely, "Yo, Shit's on fire" Kurata remarked.

"Yup, that's burning" Itami acknowledged. Unbeknownst to the group, their Master Sergeant had pulled out a pair of binoculars.

"Is that natural? The power of Nature?"

Master Sergeant Kuwabara had been watching the fires before speaking up, "Rather a monster movie or a Kaijū Manga." Kuwabara said shutting down what Kurata suggested before he hands the binoculars to Itami so he could judge for himself.

Upon looking into the binoculars, Itami noticed what Kuwabara had meant, "No way!" Itami exclaimed in surprise and excitement. Flying in the distance, was the silhouette of a Dragon, it was difficult to discern because of the smoke but when the large creature breathed fire the smoke clear and revealed a much clearer picture.

"That thing's like King Ghidorah with only one neck." Kuwabara remarked, he was referring to the infamous villain of Godzilla; A dragon with three heads.

Itami chuckled at the remark, "Old school, you really are a classic." he told the Master Sergeant.

"Lieutenant" A voice called, it was none other than Kuribayashi, "What would you have us do?" she questioned.

"Say, Do you think dragons would go burning down forests for no reason?" Itami shot back with a question of his own, as if trying to make small talk.

Unamused at the poor attempt, Kuribayashi shrugged it off, "Well, since you understand Dragons so much, why don't you go take a closer look." she replied with an annoyed look.

"Do you think you can hold my hand Sergeant Kuribayashi?" Itami sarcastically retorted, "Your command officer is getting kinda scared over here."

"Bite me." Kuribayashi responded before tilted her head with a sharp turn in refusal.

Itami directed his attention from the binoculars to Kuribayashi, "I'm guessing that's a no." he said to himself.

"I'll hold your hand." Shouted a voice from one of the vehicles, it was Ilya whom had been listening in, "I might incline to carry you too." she continued.

"At least someone is willing to do it." Itami again said aloud before returning to the binoculars. Moments pass before he changed the tone from playful to seriousness, "I suppose we'll find a suitable spot and wait until the dragon's gone so we can go scout that area." he explains to the Third Recon then they go and do as intended.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, A pair of dark colored vehicles slowed their pace to a stop. The lead vehicle appeared to be a beefy Humvee while the much larger vehicle following in behind was an APC. Each vehicle donned on the symbol of the Brotherhood; a Spades, painted on the front, doors, and back.

Inside the APC, or rather the IFFY, Commander-Supreme Yuki sat amongst two squads dressed up as one of the Brotherhood Soldiers, across from where the Brotherhood sat were the Guardian Troopers donning in heir infamous White Armor. The ride was awkward enough but what tipped the scales was how quiet it was and despite qorking together for the past few months there was still some uneasiness between the two factions.

Just as the IFFY came to a halt, Yuki's radio buzzed, _[Ma'am, we're outside the forest.]_ a voice announced on the other end. While they had no idea the dark smoke came from a forest at first but soon realized it became so, _[It smells like hardcore smoke out here.]_ he commented.

Without hesitation, Yuki reached for her radio to reply, "Put your filtrations masks on, we don't know what you're inhaling." she ordered. Despite being Ghosts, they could still inhale foreign substances that could potentially be lethal.

Whent the Guardian Scouts were sent out, Yuki cared less for them because their armor provided the best defense for all kinds of environments as well as providing air filtration in the helmets.

Back on the other end of the radio, The Brotherhood Soldier acknowledged the order, _[Copy that.]_ he announced.

"Oi!" Yuki called the soldier sitting behind the wheel, "Are there Relay-Comms nearby? If so, what do we know?" she had asked behind turning to the Guardian Troopers.

The Driver turned his attention to a monitor switching the dash cam to a vector map with symbols and basic places, "Scout Troopers marked the forest outline but that's all we know. Afraid we're going into the unknown." the Driver explained. The Map acted as an alternate GPS showing where they were, where the Relay Comm was, and the area where the forest was, it was actually a moderately sized forest equivalent to a national park,

Yuki looked unsurprised but none-the-less got her answer. She gave a pouty expression, folded her arms, and slumped back in her spot as if the think. The Brotherhood Soldiers beside her simply watched her do so, one of which was a Marine, Oliver Mundy.

"Commander Supreme." One of the Guardian Troopers called out, this Trooper had blue strips decorating his armor indicating he was the leader of his squad or rather a platoon if there was one.

Yuki rose an eyebrow, "What do you want, Trooper?" She asked sternly but also with attention as if she wanted them to question her.

"What're we hoping to find?" The Guardian Platoon-Leader asked. Since the Guardian Ground Forces helmets hid the faces of it's troopers, it was rather difficult to tell what his expression was.

Yuki then leaned forward to tell, not just the trooper but also those around her, "There's a fire in the middle of a forest, a large fire. Someone or something started it, There isn't much between this Forest and the FOB, so we're most likely the next target for what's inside." She calmly explained painting a clear picture why they were investigating the area. Although they could have sent the Guardian Scouts, however they were all sent to configure the Relay Comms through the region.

The Guardian Trooper that asked question appeared unfazed but with a simple nod, he understood the intent behind Yuki's logic.

Yuki's radio buzzed once more, _[Ma'am, permission to speak freely.]_ With the Soldier on the other having the mask on, the words sounded more clearer and a bit louder.

"Go ahead." Yuki radioed back.

 _[How do you spell ambush?]_ The Soldier asked. Based on his situation outside in the FATTY, they would be the first casualties if they were ambushed. Yuki awaited for the Soldier to finish, after a brief pause he spoke, _[S-C-R-E-W-E-D.]_ he spelled out, the punchline sent chuckles to the Brotherhood Soldiers in the IFFY, The Guardians looked to each other and nodded at the humor.

Tickled by the humor, Yuki grinned in response, "Then you better keep you eyes peeled and watch your sectors." She replied back half jokingly and half serious. After the chuckles had died down, Yuki went to radio the Lead Vehicle, "We're going in, follow the trail but easy on the petal." she tell them. If they were going in, they were going in slow, while it would make them am easily target it was still safer than speeding into a tree or driving into a ditch.

 _[Appreciate the concern Ma'am.]_ The Soldier on the other end of the rado remarked unamused but did not take it personal as he understood the sarcasm, _[We're moving out.]_ and with that, the vehicles slowly started moving again and into the unknown forest unsure of what they'll run into.

 **Hillside, East of Alnus and West of the Dumas Mountains**

Perched up on a overwatch position in between trees, Camouflaged Guardian Scouts made their camp, with most of the on overwatch while one did his own thing. They were there because of a Relay Comm that had been placed and hidden there. With Night fallen and the moon rising, there wasn't much to do in the night.

The Scout Leader identified with Red decorations let out a groan, "Recon and Observation, They said. It'll be fun, they said." Complaining about their ordeal. First was the Intervention in the Spiritual Realm, Second was watching the JSDF hold back thousands of Legionaries, and now they were back to their original objective.

Another Scout beside him turned to look at his leader, "We got our orders, besides we got to watch legionaries storm a entrenched position." he reassured the Lead Scout.

The Lead Scout sighed with disappoint before turning back to look at the Scout whom had been doing his own thing, "Relay-Comm ready?" he asked.

"It's been ready since the sun down." replied the Scout Trooper. He appeared to be on the Relay network doing something showing that said Relay was active.

"Sir, we got activity." A second Scout announced pointing towards a small camp fire off in the distance.

The Scouts on overwatch turned their attentions to the campfire only to find out that said fire was from a burning carriage with over a dozen individuals, "Bandits, 375 meters." One Scout announced.

"It looks like they got a..." Another Scout spoke up but trailed off upon seeing three people who did not belong with the group, "...a family." disheartened, he knew what was going to become of the three. There was a man, a woman, and what appears to be a teenage girl all being held at sward point.

"Sir, What do you want to do?" the Second Scout beside the Lead Scout questioned while shouldering his rifle readying it for engagement.

It didn't take long for the Lead Scout to decide what to do next, "Engage." he said with one word.

"Roger that." The Second Scout acknowledged. The rest of the Scouts spared no expense in readying their weapons.

Back down at the burning carriage, The bandits killed the man who was trying defend his wife and child. The woman and daughter being dragged away and heir clothes being ripped off by a group of men, it was clear what they intended to do to them.

Just as one of he bandits pulled out his masculinity, a bolt of light tore through his head causing everyone to stop and look in the direction where the bolt came from, (What the hell?!) one of the bandits exclaimed with surprised.

The girls stopped squirming and looked to each other bewildered at what just happened, (Magic?) the teenager questioned.

Just as the teenager finished, bolts of light began emerging from a hillside striking with deadly accuracy. None of the energy bolts missed their target, the Bandits attempted to scramble and some went for their shields however the intense energy from the bolts neglected whatever they hit and ripped right through. Before long the Bandits were killed off, the Mother and Daughter stunned at what just happened and too afraid to move.

Once cleared, there was a long 5 minute wait before a pair of Guardian Scouts appeared. The Woman and Daughter look with curiosity but also with grave concern. The pair have their pistols draw as they scan the area for survivors and check the bodies to see if anyone survived the barrage of bolts.

(Knights...) The Woman whispers to herself, (...with Magic Rods?) It can't be, she begins to wonder if these were the White Knights of Gardeeyan however these knights had their armor painted green like the trees with leaf patterns, unsure if these were the noble men they heard so much about. The Daughter begins to sob quietly as she is scared but the Woman assures her daughter to stay and down as if they appear like one of the dead and let these "Knights" pass them over.

(You bastards!) A sudden cry sounds from in behind the burning carriage. Coming around, a bandit welding a crossbow lifts his weapon and fires at the Scout Trooper who doesn't react in time.

The Bandit shoots the Guardian allowing the bolt strike the chest plate of his armor. The force knocks the Scout Trooper back but doesn't kill him, The Bandit stands there for a second to process what happened just as the Scout plucks out the bolt in his chest plate, "My turn." he says lifting his pistol and firing before the Bandit has anytime to react. The bolt rips through the bandit's armor sending sparks out his back before dropping.

With one final sweep, the Scouts be sure to double check on the bodies. Once their sweep was done the other Scout waves off to the others in the distance, "Area clear." he announces.

The first Scout feels a bit of pride, "They don't call us Guardians for nothing." he says aloud. By this time, their focus was the bandits and they completely forgot about the Mother and Daughter.

The Mother doesn't understand a word they're saying but she understands the one word that sticks out, (Gardeeyan?) she repeats then realizes her suspicions were correct. She gets up from the ground and looks at the Scouts unsure how to approach them.

The Daughter gasps out loud which catches the attentions of the Scouts who in turn point their pistol at the two girls. Fearing for their lives the girls duck their heads but upon seeing the girls, the Scouts retract their weapons.

As the Scout pair look to each other, the rest of the Scout team arrive in full with the Lead Scout cautiously approaching the Mother. He kneels down to her eye level with both hands out showing he had nothing in them while also showing he meant no harm.

Unable to see the Scout's eyes through his visor, The Mother doesn't know what to do and freezes. After a few moments she finally musters up the courage to speak, (You...you are The White Knights of Gardeeyan, right?) she timidly asks, after what she just witnessed who could blame her. The Mother scans down to his chest plate where she sees odd symbols that read "Jurai".

The Lead Scout, Captain Jurai, is taken back at what the woman had said, (White Knights...from?..."Gardeeyan") He questions repeating what he heard before getting up and looks to his team, "I don't recall encountering any locals as of late."

The Second Scout, Jurai's second, takes a step forward, "Not us, but maybe the other Scout Teams did." he deduces before looking to the Mother. She appears cautious but also a little starstruck because these men had essentially saved her and her daughter's life.

The Daughter gets up and quickly runs over to her mother, who embraces her. The Scouts watch this unfold and look amongst each other with nodding approvals.

Just as everything seems all well in good, a third party had watched the entire thing unfold from afar, (My, my.) The sound of a mature woman greeted, (What noble knights.)

This catches the Scouts off guard as they weren't expecting anyone else. They turn to the voice with their weapons lifted. They are greeted by a young girl wearing a gothic lolita outfit and is carrying a massive halbert, she slowly approaches them with a big grin "What the f-..." One of the Scouts trails, (Hold!) he barks at the goth girl, she stops in response.

"Really?" Another Scout remarks almost questioning his compatriot's ability to communicate, "You butchered that. It's pronounced (Stop)" He corrects him but also still zeroed in on the young girl.

(An Apostle?) The Daughter recognizes the young girl, (Rory the Reaper.) Rory Mercury, the Apostle of Emroy, God of Darkness, War, Death, Violence, and Insanity. It was no surprise that the Guardians and the Brotherhood would attract the attention of beings on a higher plain however it was still an honor to be in the presence of an Apostle.

Rory looks pleased at the foreign knights and also a little bit surprised, (Oh? You aren't from around here are you?) she states taking immediate notice at their accents. She finds them peculiarly interesting, the spiritual essences the Scout's are giving off come off as pure.

"Shut up, dude!" The Scout shot back at his correction, "Now is not the time! Do you see that halbert?!" He argued. For a young girl to carry such a large weapon she must be very strong and powerful, The Guardian Scouts knew this and if a fight were to break out they would be essentially be fighting against an Order Member and get killed immediately.

Rory audaciously steps closer to observe the Scouts almost egging them to fire, (My, from where do you brave knights hail?) She asks taking another step but towards Jurai as she notices his armor and judges he is their leader. The Scouts cautiously step back in turn as Rory continues to look over them with high interest.

The Guardians don't answer and remain silent, however the Mother speaks in place for them, (From "Gardeeyan", Apostle.) she told the Apostle.

For Rory, things got interesting, she had searched far and wide for these warriors since she had first heard of their exploits, (Oh, So these much be the White Knights everybody's been talking about.) Rory cheerfully says almost jumping with joy. She effortlessly twirls her halbert around and implants it into the ground for it to stand on it's own, (I scoured many regions in search for these brave warriors for while now.) She finishes and casually walks to the Mother and Daughter.

The Scouts back away from Rory as she passes them by, "What is she saying, Jurai? I can only catch a few key words." Jurai's Second asks wondering if the Lead Scout understood the language better than he.

Jurai shrugs his shoulders, "Same here." he admits.

Rory stops in front of the Mother and Daughter pair, (The rumors are true, Apostle. These White Knights saved us.) The Mother told the Apostle. Though unclear of their intentions.

Rory smiles in response, (And what do these White Knights want in return?) She questions before turning to the Guardian Scouts.

(Return?) Jurai manages to catch a word and knows what Rory means. He lowers his weapon but doesn't ease his stance, (We take nothing, we give nothing. No return.) The Lead Scout tells Rory, though admittedly his accent is rough and barely makes sense.

Rory chuckles a laugh which calms the girls who also chuckle at the butchered grammar, (Yes, Yes indeed.) Rory acknowledges. She turns to the Mother and Daughter and offers a hand to help them to their feet.

One of the other Scout's leans over to Jurai, "I think we've overstayed our welcome." he whispers to the Captain.

Jurai glances over to the Scout to respond, "We can't exactly leave this widow and her daughter helpless." he tells his subordinate, it would seem Guardians have higher morals than the Brotherhood.

After picking up the girls to their feet, Rory turns to the Scouts with an oddly sadistic look, (Not to worry, Brave Knights, I shall accompany you to your next destination.) she tells them with a confident tone hopeful to study more about these foreigners and their Pure Energy they emit.

Jurai understood what Rory said and again already understand her intentions, "Okay, I guess that settles it." he remarks knowing full well the Mother and Daughter is coming with along with Rory the Reaper,

Jurai's Second drops his head in defeat, "We are so dead." he says aloud. It was never specifically said but if they were to bring back these civilians to the FOB then Commander-Supreme would have their heads for helping the locals.

Damned if you do, Damned if you don't. The Guardians Scouts let the area with three individuals, Once they all go their separate ways more of the "Gardeeyan" exploits would spread. Rory on the other hand couldn't wait to journey with these Knights, however the tales of them donning on White Armor were false but the rumors of their infamous "Magic Rods" were true enough and that was all Rory needed.

 **Coan Forest**

After the smoke from the forest fires and the Dragon had left, Itami and the Third Recon moved in to investigate. Most of the trees had been burned down to a stump, the air chocked by the smell of a recent fire and smoke. Shortly after dismounting, Itami directed his team as a leader should.

"Nishina, Take Katsumoto and Tozu and circle around the north side." Itami ordered three of his men before turning to another two, "Kurata and Kuribayashi, we'll search the south." he told them. The first three left afterwards to search the northern side as ordered.

"What're we searching for?" Kurata asked unsure of what to look for.

"Um..." Itami stalled as he looked around then settled his gaze on a burnt corpse, "...Survivors?" he finally answered but also unsure if there were any survivors.

Shortly after beginning their search, Kurata too noticed a burnt corpse, "S-second Lieutenant this is-" ; "Kurata, Don't say a thing." Kurata spoke but was cut short by Itami, "Keep moving." The Second Lieutenant ordered.

Much time has come to pass and Itami needed to take a break from the devastating scene. Sitting down on the walls of an intact well, he took a deep breath.

"Second Lieutenant." Kuribayashi called out and approached Itami, "After doing some investigating, it would seem there were a total of 32 foundations, each of them appear to be the size of small houses, however a total of 27 bodies were recovered. The rubble and wreckage could be hiding the rest." She explained holding up a piece of paper, she had kept track of what the Third Recon found during the search.

Itami thought about what she had told him for a second and spoke up, "If you count three persons per building, that should be at least a hundred-plus dead with no survivors." he said after doing some brief math, "We should probably report this to the General." he suggested before standing up.

"Yeah, but the General wouldn't like what we have to tell him." Kuribayashi acknowledge but also added her opinion. As Itami passed her by, Kuribayashi continued, "Y'know, during the Battle of Ginza, we faced smaller Dragons; Wyverns, however the .50 Cals didn't even put a dent in their scale and they weren't breathing fire all over the place." she told him. She had a point, while Wyverns were smaller and tough to take down, she brought an idea what munitions would be needed to take down much larger dragon.

"So basically a Flying Tank with a flame thrower." Itami said with a defeated tone already seeing how dangerous said Dragon was.

Not far from where the Third Recon was, The Brotherhood IFFY and FATTY were parked nicely blending in with the burnt environment because of it's dark colors. Every Brotherhood Soldier, including Yuki wore a filtration mask.

The Guardians themselves stood out the most because of their distinguishable White Armor. Like the Third Recon, the Guardians and Brotherhood conducted a search but primarily away from the main village.

A Brotherhood/Guardian pair stood in what appeared to be a fallen watch tower, "Burnt buildings, burnt bodies, etc." The Guardian said taking a look around the area.

"Tragic." The Brotherhood Soldier responded. On his pauldron, was the "5th Rangers, this was Mintah.

Jarrus, who had been in the FATTY stood in a fairly large foundation, "What or who the hell did this?" he asked himself at the damage done. While the Three Factions is capable of doing something like this, this was a different case for this world.

Yuki on the other hand stood a top the IFFY and scanned the area and as far as she could see, nothing but fallen trees and burnt stumps. The filtration mask prevented her from smelling the air but the sight was more than enough to give an idea what it smelled like. Yuki closed her eyes as she is remained of the Jungles of Fjorn.

The search continued with a Brotherhood Marine and Ranger, Mintah and Mundy, straying from the group in search for more buildings. They find a building with intact walls and begin to circle around.

Just as they they the corner, they run into a JSDF pair who had been doing the same, (Eh-...)/"Ah-..." Both the JSDF and Brotherhood Soldiers sound upon seeing each other. The JSDF personal were none other than Tomita and Ilya.

There wasn't even a pause before each respective soldiers lofted their weapons in response, (Contact!)/"Contact!" They cry out in unison. Ilya having pointed her weapon at Mintah and Mintah vice versa.

It wasn't long for shooting to start, only a couple shots rang out but it was more than enough to bring each force to the spot where they had first contact. The JSDF coming over to find out what happened, The Brotherhood and Guardians doing the same. Ilya took a few rounds to her Plate-Carrier but didn't go through, on the ground with Tomita helping her.

Mintah was hit too, his Outer-Plate had four holes were the 7.62 round struck and the soft body armor had two spots where the bullet was stopped.

Rushing in from either side of the building, the JSDF, Guardians, and Brotherhood all had come face to face. Upon seeing each other they directed their weapons towards each other, the JSDF was outmatch and technologically inferior but that didn't stop them from aiming back, although they found the Guardians odd.

Yuki arrives with Jarrus as her side, Itami also arrives alongside Kuribayashi. Once they see each other, Itami lifts his rifle and Yuki draws her pistol pointed at Itami's face.

Jarrus remains calm and is the only one without a pointed weapon being the reasonable one, "Ma'am!" he calls on Yuki in attempt to tone down the situation.

Yuki hears Jarrus and realizes the fallout of this event, "Shit, this is exactly what I didn't want to happen." She says lowering her pistol along with her head.

Hearing what sounded like American english, the JSDF look amongst each other baffled, (English?) Kuribayashi questions and looks to Itami.

(No way...) Kurata remarks zeroed in on a pair of Guardians. To him, the Guardians look exactly like Soldiers from one of his Futuristic Anime, which would be cool if they weren't pointing weapons at him.

"Commander-Supreme?" Jarrus calls as if expecting an order. The Brotherhood Soldiers don't back down and casually change their targets.

Kuribayashi cautiously steps over to Itami, (Lieutenant, What do we do now?) She asks aloud in Japanese.

Itami shifts his weapon from Yuki to Jarrus, (Hold on, I'm thinking.) he replied unsure how to react and begin to wonder who was going to fire first.

The ordeal became a standoff, between a Self-Defense Force and Two Superpower Factions. A loud bang could essentially start a slaughter with everyone firing on each other although the JSDF can easily be wiped out, they would take a good number of Guardians and Brotherhood down. The tense moment rose the heart rates and the quietness made the whole situation much more intense. Who was going to fire first, who would die first, Who were these unknown soldiers, a lot of questions on both sides clouded the minds of everyone.

(Konnichiwa! Can we resolve this peacefully?) Sudden Yuki spoke up in her traditional language breaking the ice. She holsters her weapon and gestures her men to lower their weapons which the reluctantly do so, especially the Guardians.

Shocked the JSDF personal are taken by surprise, (She can speak Japanese too?!) Tomita announced which causes him to lower his weapon slightly. Ilya takes this time to stand up, she looks confused as the rest of her team.

Yuki takes off her filtration revealing she is human, or rather humanoid,and holds up both her hands in surrender, (Listen, We don't want any trouble.) she fluently tells them. The Guardians and the Brotherhood all turn to Yuki as if she were the crazy one but none-the-less ease their defensive stance. The JSDF still have their weapons pointed but all look to Itami for direction, however he is still wrapping his head around the fact she spoke fluent Japanese.

* * *

 **The more you know:**

 **1st Marines, 1st Airborne - At the start of the Second Great War, The Brotherhood divided their ground forces into two groups during the invasions; a beach landing and a drop behind enemy lines. These would ultimately become the 1st Marines and 1st Airborne as the Brotherhood's armies grew in numbers.**

 **Brotherhood Filtration Mask - The Mask itself is a practical device allowing it's wearer to breath without having to deal with the flaws of a common gas mask. It's design is no different than a face mask with two intake holes at the cheeks and one exhaust where the mouth would be. The Mask also sports a visor shielding and sealing the eyes.**

 **The Council of Generals - Mainly referred to as the Brotherhood Council, The Generals discuss the politics much like a Commonwealth Cabinet. While still in charged of a large military force, each General is also responsible for certain departments as ministers would.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Coan Forest**

All was calm with a bright blue sky, The wind blowing across and in between the trees. The sun beaming down on the forest making it more lush and vibrant. Within the forest, a settlement populated entirely by elves, all of which were enjoying another simply day.

In one of the dwellings of the elves, a young blonde girl slept soundly cuddled into her bedroll, a soft smile can be seen as she dreamt. Her name was Tuka Luna Marceau, she is the daughter of Hodor Marceau, the chief of the village.

While dreaming, her father came running into the hut and quickly over to his daughter's bedside, "Tuka, Get up." He said as he shook Tuka awake.

Slowly waking, Tuka steadily got up rubbing her eyes, "Father, What is it? I was sleeping well." she told her father.

As she spoke, noises fan be heard from outside the elf dwelling. The sounds of screaming and clattering. As peaceful as the village was, there was much chaos going on outside.

"What is happening?" Tuka asked now finally wide awake at the sudden choas. She turned to look outside and saw the silhouette of a Dragon through the bright sunlight, "Is that a Flame Dragon?!" she exclaimed turning to her father, she then noticed a bow in his hand, Tuka's adrenaline began coursing through her body.

"That's right." Hodor answered with a nod. Just as he got up, he saw Tuka reach for her bow too, "Please don't." he pleaded.

"Why?" Confused, Tuka questioned.

"You need to escape." Tuka's father answered without delay.

Getting off from her bed, Tuka stood with a bow in her hand, "I want to fight too." she told her Father with determination.

Hodor put a hand on Tuka's shoulder and another on Tuka's bow, "No, if anything happens to you, your Mother will tell me off." He said with concern while also pleaded she stay out of it.

"If the opponent is a Flame Dragon, it doesn't matter where I run to. It's better to have one more soldier, right?" Tuka argued trying to assure her Father she can fight.

Just as she said that, more screaming can be heard from outside but this time it sounded closer than those before. The Flame Dragon was drawing near.

Upon hearing the screams, Hodor instinctively grabbed his daughter's wrist, "It's dangerous in here, we need to move." he said before escorting her outside.

Once outside, Tuka saw a childhood friend appearing to run but the friend was caught in the jaws of the Flame Dragon. The Dragon began to eat the poor girl, ripping the girl to pieces with it's sharp teeth.

"Yuno!" Tuka screamed and instinctively reacted by shooting an arrow at it.

The arrow however simply bounced off the scales of the Dragon unfazed. The Dragon finishes with the girl and continues on for it's next victim, unfortunately it sets it's gaze on Tuka. The Dragon's gaze was terrifying, it caught Tuka off guard.

"Yu...Yuno...she..." Tuka then became frozen with fear still holding her stance when she fired the arrow. She couldn't move, she was afraid, she couldn't process what was happening.

"Tuka, No!" Hodor shouted before loading an arrow and said a magic spell. Upon firing the arrow, it moved faster than the eye could register and impaled the Dragon's eye. Tuka at this point fell to her knees shellshocked.

The Dragon roared in pain. The other elves defending the village saw this, "The Eye! Aim for the eye!" One of them shouted and began firing a barrage of arrows but the Dragon quickly swiped the supports the warrior elves stood on with it's tail.

The Dragon then drew closed to Tuka opening it's massive jaws, "Tuka, You must run!" Hodor shouted. Tuka unfortunately didn't move and quietly sat there.

Just as the Dragon closed it's jaw, Hodor can be seen running carrying Tuka as a father would. Running as fast as he could, there was only on place where she could hide against the Dragon's wrath. The Dragon however chased after Hodor and Tuka.

Upon reaching a well, Hodor looked to his daughter and she looked back and started getting her senses back, "You must hide in here, alright?" he told her before dropping her down the well before she could respond. As she started to fall, Tuka saw the large teeth of the Dragon creeping up behind her Father.

Once at the bottom of the well, all she could hear are the fires burning around the village. The once blue sky turned black from the raising smoke. Tuka continued to wait in the well. It eventually begin to rain after enough time but because it was still black out, she couldn't tell what time of day it was, the longer she sat in the well the colder it got.

As Tuka waited and waited, the sky began clearing up with the sun shining down the well. She wondered if anyone had made it out of the Dragon's onslaught however she began to doubt herself when a familiar face looked down into the well, "Ah, Tuka. Are you ok?" it was her father asking if she was fine.

Tuka looked up to see her father but she knew better, this wasn't the first hallucination she had. Hodor continued to smile until he faded away and there was only the sunlight beaming down, "Father...save me." She softly said as if calling out to him. After a brief pause there were some loud bangs, "Eep!" she sounded in surprised.

Shortly after the bangs erupted, there was quietness for a while. Tuka continued to wait until she heard voices talk at the top of the well. She assumed she was having hallucinations again because they voices spoke in a tongue she did not understand.

Disheartened, Tuka sat down in defeat shivering from the water, "I guess I am to die in here." She told herself.

(Hjor biot zoum wahtier?) A female voice said at the top of the well, (Ah'vil gyv ti zous woo zrist v'rom ze Wahtier oof Life Fuhla, Vit'toh Koast.)

Hearing the voice very clearly, Tuka looked up only to see the bottom of a bucket. *Thunk* the bucket struck her head knocking her unconscious.

 **Unknown Settlement**

En route to Alnus Hill alongside her companions, Grey and Hamilton, Princess Piña Co Lada took to stopping at most townships along the way. Alnus wasn't going anywhere and she needed information in regards to what happened at Alnus, for instance, What happened to the Imperial Soldiers that survived, if any survived at all. Staying at the inns they come across, they naturally blend in as well equipped mercenaries, however since they left the Capital they have been followed by a hooded figure which they did not notice right away. Eventually Piña realized they were being followed, she concluded that this was possibly an assassin but there was no telling for sure. By the time they hit the third settlement and without alarming her companions, Piña decided enough was enough.

Shortly after Grey and Hamilton went to bed, Piña stayed up and baited the potentially assassin into her room while she waited down the hall. The hooded figure eventually showed himself and quietly entered Piña's room, once the coast was clear, Piña sprang into action and quietly followed in after him.

Upon entering the room, Piña saw the hooded figure by the bedside reinforcing the fact that this was indeed an assassin. The bed was filled with a rucksack making it appear as if someone was in the bed. The Princess drew her sword and directed that the assassin, "You!" she called out.

The Assassin flinched at Piña's voice and turned to look, only to see a sword pointed at him, "Please don't harm me." he said softly raising his hands in surrender.

Piña took a step closer with the sword's tip pressed against the assassin's chest, "Who sent you? Why are you following me?" she interrogated. Whoever sent the assassin surely didn't want the Princess to find out about Alnus' situation but to what cause, Piña needed answers.

The Assassin didn't respond but took off his hood revealing an old man with greying wavy hair and a bushy beard. It was clear that this man was no assassin but perhaps a messenger, however this man was too old to be a messenger.

"Senator Ventus?" Recognizing the man, Piña lowered her sword and scrunched her face with confusion, "What're you doing? Why were following me?" she questions as she puts her sword into it's sheath.

The Senator takes Piña by the shoulder and directs her towards an in bedroom table, "Princess, relax." He tells her as he sits her down at one end before taking the otherside, "When I heard about you and your Order going to investigate Alnus, I had to meet with you on a more urgent matter." He explains as he sits down. He sounds concerned and makes it seem like Alnus was the least of the Empire's worries.

Frowning at the Senator's choice of words, Piña grits her teeth at the lack of care the Senator has for the Empire's current situation, "Urgent?!" She raises her voice in frustration, "What could me more urgent than enemies at Alnus?!"

The Senator remains unchanged from his concern and calmly looks at the Princess, "Information about the White Knights of Gardeeyan." he simply replies. Clearly he knows more than he should.

Piña is taken back by the Senator's words and eases her expression, "I'm listening." she says folding her arms and listens, however this had better be more important than the enemies at Alnus Hill.

Seeing she was reasonable, The Senator sighs in relief, "The Emperor knows the White Knights are coming from between Tybe Mountain and the Dumas Mountain Range, you and I know that's South East of Alnus." Explaining what they already knew and what was getting passed around, The Senator knew this and before Piña could speak he continued, "However, what you and he don't know is there is a second GATE located there." With that, the Senator awaits what Piña has to say.

Piña expression changes from one out of irritation and into shock. She begins to wonder if the Senator was lying or telling the truth but then why would he come all this way to tell her personally, "What?! You're telling me; that we, The Empire, managed to open a second GATE?!" Piña exclaims getting up from her chair.

"Lower your voice and let me explain." the Senator tells the Princess as to not alert the others and assures her to remain calm, "We didn't open a second GATE, we simply found it-" ; "Who else knows about this second GATE?!" Piña cuts of the Senator mid-sentence and demands to know who else knows about this.

"Only a handful of us, you included." The Senator answers, Piña sits back down and calms herself before allowing the Senator to continue, "We found it but when the GATE opened at Alnus, the second GATE did too. So the other Senators and I sent an expeditionary force through." Explaining in regards to the Second GATE and tells her what they did when they invaded the other world.

Piña raises and eyebrow at the mention of an expeditionary force but she's unconvinced as it was unheard of, "And?" she questions as she folds her arms.

The Senator leans against the back rest, and goes to bush his hair, "None of them returned." he nervously answers as he and a few other Senators were responsible for sending a handful of the Empire's military through a Second GATE.

Still unconvinced, Piña presses on for more answers, "How many?" she asks wondering how much men was sent through this Second GATE.

"One Corps." the Senator replies. Upon hearing this, Piña then remembers the lack of Imperial Soldiers in the capital as well as lack of guards the towns had. The Senator continues his explanation, "Fortunately the Emperor doesn't know about this otherwise he'd be furious."

Piña then proceeds to connect the dots and based on what Senator Ventus was telling her, it was all to much of a coincidence. She then begins to fear for the Empire, "Could it be the White Knights?" she quietly says to herself.

The Senator hears her, "Uncertain." he comments while also showing the same concern he had earlier.

Redirecting her attention, she looks to the floor, "Why are you telling me this?" she asks as she begins to accept the Senator's words as truth.

"It is because you are going to the secondary GATE and make contact with the White Knights." the Senator replies as he pulls up a rolled piece of parchment. Rolling it out on the table, it is revealed to be a map of the Empire, "Last known location of the GATE was here." He says and points to a spot and sure enough it was in between the mountains south-east of Alnus, however the nearest location the supposed GATE was in between the Roma river and the main road going south.

Piña begins to panic slightly, "If the White Knights are responsible for the disappearance of One of the Empire's Corps, then we may have another Enemy on our hands..." She expresses concern based on what she has been told. In times past, the Empire have fought multiple enemies but not ones like these, which Piña understood. She then begins the weight in the potential which relieves her of her stress, "...but if I could rally one of their groups of five then with my Order, we could pushed back the Enemy at Alnus." she says. Always five, there were of the Guardian Troopers being sent from the Brotherhood FOB and only five individuals was needed to hold back many groups of bandits.

Grinning at the Princess' Optimism, Senator Ventus agrees with her, "Yes, that sounds marvelous!" He says with joy, "The Emperor will be most pleased to hear that you liberated Alnus from a powerful enemy with the help of the White Knights." He added throwing his support behind Piña.

Piña quickly assures herself as to not get ahead of herself, "Of course, however, I would need to investigate Alnus first and study their defenses and then seek out the White Knights of Gardeeyan." she tells the Senator who also nods in agreement.

As the night presses on, the two would continued to formulate a plan of action if this information and resolution were to be brought to the Imperial Senate for questioning. Senator Ventus would have to tell the other Senator's involve with the Second GATE of their plan and get them to support Piña's decision, that goes without saying.

 **Ruined Village, Brotherhood and JSDF**

The resolution between the JSDF and the Brotherhood/Guardian Coalition wasn't ideal but it was enough to keep each other from killing each other. Both sides were ordered by the superior officer to return to their respective vehicles while they talked things through. Both Itami and Yuki met at a well near the center of the village in ruin. Yuki had filled Itami on her situation regarding the GATE but didn't divulge anything about the Spiritual Realm, Itami on the other hand only shared what he knew about the current situation.

Yuki made a mental note of what Itami told him and wanted to clarify what she heard, "So a Dragon laid waste to this forest and the village residing in it. A Fire Breathing Dragon." She repeated wanting confirmation.

"Yes, that's right." Itami acknowledged. What was off putting, Yuki spoke clear and fluent Japanese but she was from a different world which made him very cautious around her. He then moved to wanting confirmation of his own, "And you're telling me a GATE opened up in your world too. What is your world like?" he questioned. The question itself was irrelevant, he was more interested in the fact she spoke clear English and Japanese.

Yuki's posture change upon hearing the question, she stood as if she were studying Itami with an elbow resting on her arm and a hand to her chin. She looked unsure before smirking and answering, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." she told him relaxing her posture.

Itami on the other hand wasn't expecting that answer but also wasn't surprised by it either. He wanted information but taking a direct approach wasn't going to work, "Say if I did believe you, after all it's obvious you're from another world." He says trying to mislead the conversation and trick Yuki into saying something without realizing it, "Having a good look at your armor, I warrant you aren't from my World." He mentions taking a good look at Yuki's full Brotherhood Armed Forces Uniform. He judges the Outer Chest Plates are made from a type of ceramic or high-density polyethylene, but overall it looks on par with modern military of Earth.

Yuki takes a second before frowning in suspicion unsure how to respond, she remains quiet and continues to eye Itami knowing full well what he's attempting to do despite almost falling for it. Being a Ghost longer than he's been alive Yuki knew better than to speak.

Itami was hoping for an answer however the silence was broken when Kuribayashi arrived, "Second Lieutenant." She greeted approaching Itami, weapon in hand. After stopping, she looks to Yuki with uncertainty. Yuki also looks back with uncertainty.

Itami picks up on the uneasiness between them, "What is it Kuribayashi?" He asks relieving the tension.

Knowing the foreign woman could speak Japanese, Kuribayashi looks reluctantly to speak but ultimately does so and leans closer, "It's Kasukezaki, she took a few hits but aren't life threatening." she replies almost sounding like a whisper.

"Well that's good news." The Second Lieutenant says aloud. Kuribayashi then turns her head to look at Yuki who changes her stance with both hands on her hips. Itami then sees an opportunity, "Oh! Kuribayashi, This is Commander-Supreme Yuki." He introduces them although he sounds like a idiot saying Yuki's rank out loud.

Kuribayashi looks unamused and confused, "Commander...Supreme?" questioning if she had heard that right. Yuki salutes at the introduction reinforcing what Itami said. To her, it sounds like a child made up that rank or something used from one of Itami's Manga.

Before anymore words can be exchanged, Commander Jarrus casually walks over and approaches Yuki, (Commander-Supreme, it's good to see you weren't shot yet.) he greets in english. Of course, the JSDF understood english as it was a requirement to learn as per training with foreign allies.

Yuki shifts her head with a quick motion, (Can it Jarrus!) She snaps in english. Kuribayashi flinches at Yuki's snap as she wasn't expecting a sudden change in Yuki's demeanor. Jarrus remains quiet and shifts his attention to Itami and Kuribayashi, Yuki does the same, "So..." she says trailing off, a poor attempt at small talk.

"So?" Itami and Kuribayashi say in unison. As if the situation wasn't more awkward, there wasn't much else to say between the two parties.

"Ah!" Yuki sounds upon seeing a bucket and the well. She walks over and takes the bucket's rope, "How 'bout some water." She kindly asks with a friendly tone. She stops at the well before preparing to throw the Bucket down, "I will give to those who thirst from the Water of Life freely, without cost." she recites as she throws down the bucket, Itami hears this and immediately takes notice at the wording.

Expecting a splash at the bottom of the well, a loud thunk was heard instead, (The hell?) Yuki says then looks down into the well confused.

(What is it Ma'am?) Jarrus asks curiously wondering what Commander-Supreme was doing.

Just as he asked that question, Yuki jumped into the well without much thought. Both Itami and Kuribayashi are shocked Yuki threw herself into the well. To them, it look as if she was crazy.

Upon seeing this, Jarrus quickly runs over, (Shit!) he curses thinking Yuki had been pulled down or tripped over the ledged around the well.

Itami, Kuribayashi, and Jarrus all went to look down the well but just as they approached the rim, Yuki bursted up from the well holding a girl in her arms. The sudden appearance startled the three knocking everyone back.

"Whoa!" Itami said stumbling to the ground.

Impacting the ground after a significant height, Yuki barely gets to feet, "This girl needs medical attention!" She shouts out loud in Japanese. This catches the attention of the Third Recon but they don't move, "Medic!" She cries staring at the Third Recon, they simply look to each other, "Medic!" Yuki cries once more until finally one of the Third Recon runs over, a female JSDF.

Having being knocked to the ground, Jarrus gets up and brushes himself off. He like Itami and Kuribayashi are confused as they get up from the ground.

Coming over, the JSDF female checks on the young girl before taking the blonde in her arms, "What happened?" She asks. The JSDF woman was Kurokawa, Third Recon's medical professional.

"I accidentally dropped a bucket on her head and she...she..." Yuki replies but then realizes the young girl was different which causes Yuki to stall, "...an Elf?"

Kurokawa then looks to Kuribayashi, "Kuribayashi, I'll need your help. First let's load her into the back of the Humvee." She tells her. Kuribayashi nods and goes to help the medic.

(Ma'am!) The voice of Oliver Mundy calls out. He and a few others come running over, (What happened? We heard shouting so we rushed over.)

The Brotherhood soldiers that arrive with Mundy look around, they appear cautious without raising their weapons despite wanting to do so.

Yuki shoots Mundy a glare then gestures her men to vacate, (It's nothing. Just found a survivor.) She tells him reluctant to share any information.

At this point, a pair JSDF personal come over, this time it was the "Hafū Metal Jacket" and the younger Otaku. They casually walks over and to Itami, wondering what all the fuss was about, Ilya's expression is as cheerful as ever despite being shot a few times and Kurata appears cautious.

As Yuki turns around to face Itami, Ilya looks surprise and appears to have recognized her, "Say, Have we met before?" She asks Commander-Supreme is a friendly manner.

Yuki stops dead in her tracks and taken back with surprise, "I uh...I c-can't say that we have." She stammers trying to defend herself. Whether or not Yuki has met Ilya is a different story.

"Really?" Questioning herself, Ilya raises a hand to ponder on the thought, "'cuz I swear I've seen you somewhere before." She says as she continues to think.

Mundy is surprised as well and leans over to Yuki, (Ma'am, Do you really think she would know you?) he asks politely but also with a whisper so that the JSDF couldn't hear.

Yuki turns her head as to not let the JSDF see her mouth move, (I've been in and out of the Living World, so I don't really know.) she whispers back.

"Ah!" Ilya snaps her finger in realization, "I remember now! You went to Kuro Yuri Private Academy." She tells Yuki with a pointed finger.

Yuki's jaw dropped at the mention of the Private Academy, clearly stunned. Back when Yuki was stationed in the Living World, her guise was that of a high school senior and the likelyhood of running into someone from that school was highly unlikely, however Ilya seems to remember so.

Jarrus takes notices and leans over to Mundy, (Judging by that expression, I guess she does know Commander-Supreme.) he states with a slight chuckle.

Now it was coming back to her, Ilya presses on, "Yeah, That's right. I've seen you a few times. I think your name is..." She admits before struggling to remember her name, "...Yui? No, Yuka? No that's not right, Yuki? Yeah, Yuki!"

Yuki then composes herself enough to speak, "Um...h-how do you know me?" she kindly asks the Blonde JSDF soldier. Unclear how someone like Ilya would remember Yuki without actually having met in person.

Ilya smiles in response, "Oh, I had a sister that went to Kuro Yuri. Her name's Himiko Kasukezaki." She tells Yuki.

Upon hearing the name, Yuki immediately calms down, "Himiko..." she mutters and remembers Ilya's sister, it all starts to come back to her. Himiko Kasukezaki, Like Yuki's best friend, Shinko, and Yuki herself, the girl was in the top tier for grades following in behind Yuki. Coming back to her senses, Yuki looks to Ilya and nervously smiles.

Ilya returns the look with an extended hand, "It's great to see you again." she says cheerfully. Kurata simply watches as Jarrus does.

Yuki chuckles nervously, "...Yeah." she acknowledges and returns the handshake.

Itami has been observing the conversation take place, he found it rather odd how Ilya was acting towards Yuki, what's more peculiar he picked up on was what Yuki said at the water well. He was beginning to wonder whether or not it was coincidence, perhaps Yuki's world shared more than he knew but that wouldn't explain how Ilya knew of her. He knew better than to press for answer.

Catching on Yuki's nervousness, Ilya tilted her head in wonder, "Hmm? Is something the matter?" she asked.

"N-no, not at all." Yuki answered putting the concern aside for a moment.

The moment was quiet atter Ilya and Yuki's exchange but before more could said, Kurata wanted to head over to the truck where the elf girl was, however Yuki stopped him and went in his stead much to Kurata's disappointment.

Approaching the JSDF Humvee, The JSDF member around the truck react by clenching their weapons upon seeing Yuki. She raises her hands telling them to relax and to show she is unarmed, they let her approach the Humvee but don't take their eyes off her.

Yuki stops at the Humvee back hatch only to have Kuribayashi and Kurokawa look back at her with the Elf Girl laying down completely nude, "How's she doing?" Yuki asks as she leans on the Humvee.

Kuribayashi and Kurokawa exchanges looks then to Yuki unsure how to respond. Kurokawa takes one good look at the Elf Girl then back to Yuki, "She's stabilizing. Her temp's returning to normal." she tells her, although there wasn't much to tell medically.

"Good." Yuki breaths a sigh of relief and gives them a thumbs up before leaving but as she takes a step she leans back forgetting to tell the two JSDF personal something, "Oh and uh...You should probably keep her away from him." She says pointing to Kurata at which Kurokawa and Kuribayashi understands and nod.

Yuki returns to the group with Itami but as she approaches him, Mundy comes forth, (Ma'am, Was that really an Elf?) he curiously asks but Yuki brushes him off and ignores the Marine.

Itami and Kurata appear to be having an exchange but when Yuki stops in front they both turn to look at her, "Second Lieutenant." Yuki greets formally, "Considering what happened here, the elf girl has nowhere else to go. My concern is who is she going to be left with?" she explains but also addressing the obvious. Between where she stood and the JSDF Humvee, she wondered who was going to take care of the Elf Girl.

Itami glances over to the Humvee where the Elf Girl was being taken care of and wonders the same thing although it would be nice for him to have an Elf Girl around but he wanted to see if Yuki and her team would take the poor girl, "Can't she go with you? After all you're the one who found her." The Second Lieutenant states. As he said that, he could hear Kurata scream from the inside.

Yuki shool her head in response, "We simply don't have the necessary equipment to support her." She admits, the Brotherhood FOB wasn't equip to handle civilians. This brought Itami and Kurata both a sense of relief. Yuki then begins to think before speaking, "Can't you just right her off as a refugee and take her back to your base?"

Itami could help but smirk at the question and Kurata seems to be having trouble keeping his excitement in. The answer was obvious for Itami however that would still leave the problem with top brass which Itami was okay with.

"Well, there is a town not far from here." Ilya said crushing the dreams of both Kurata and Itami. The expression on Ilya's face is pure and innocent, like she wanted to good things and help those in need.

Nodding, Yuki sees the potential in that, "Good, That's a start." she congratulates Ilya with a strong smile.

Ilya grins in response. Both Itami and Kurata look to each other disappointed, it would seem the Elf Girl wouldn't be going with with the JSDF for the moment.

Yuki then looks to the Marine and the Brotherhood Commander, (Jarrus, Mundy, Mount up! We're piggybacking with the JSDF.) She orders them but rather than nodding, the two exchange looks then back to Yuki to question the order, (Confirm Command?) Yuki raises a hand and cuts them off before the have a chance to speak. Itami's interest was peaked when she had said this.

Both Jarrus and Mundy looked as if they swallowed their pride and stood at attention, (Command Confirmed.) they said in unison as they saluted before heading off towards the Brotherhood position.

Just as Yuki follows in behind them, she turns to look at Itami, "Whenever you're ready Second Lieutenant." she says indicating they would follow them to the nearby village.

There wasn't much else anyone could do at this point other than head back to Coda Village. He gestures everyone to mount up as he walks over towards their own vehicles.

"She really is a hard-ass." Kurata comments as they head back to the designated vehicles.

 **On the Road to Coda Village**

The JSDF and the Brotherhood agreed not shoot to each other however they were still weary of each other. As expected, the Brotherhood Vehicles followed in behind the JSDF Vehicles but at a reasonable distance as to not disrespect their space.

In the lead JSDF vehicle, the silence didn't make things less awkward however Kurata had one thing on his mind, "I wonder what brass is going to think when they hear we had a run in with another modern army from another world." He spoke up breaking the silence.

Itami beside him wasn't keen on talking but he was still wrapping his head a couple things, "I don't know." He said answering Kurata's rather rhetorical question.

Kurata glances over to Itami before returning his attention to the road, "Well, those guys in White Armor look pretty advanced from what I could tell." He said mentioning the Guardians.

Itami remained silent, perturb at what Yuki had said earlier, "That woman, Yuki, She quoted the Bible." he commented. Although Itami wasn't religous, he was a gamer, what Yuki said had been in a video game which in turn quoted Scripture and this bothered Itami.

Confused Kurata frowned, "Huh?" questioning what Itami stated.

"Something the "Commander-Supreme" said was from the Bible if I recall." Itami explained then he continued, "Furthermore, I think Kasukezaki knows her from somewhere."

Kurata wasn't catching on, "So what's your point?" he asked wondering if Itami was going anywhere with this.

Itami turns his towards Kurata to answer, "I think there's more than she let's on." He told him, "But I need more information to come to a logical conclusion."

Meanwhile, at the Brotherhood vehicles, Yuki pondered in her seat beside Jarrus. The Brotherhood IFFY following the FATTY which was following in behind the JSDF LAV. Like the JSDF lead vehicle, silence made things awkward.

Like Kurata, Jarrus had a concern, "Ma'am, that blonde JSDF girl, who is she?" He kindly asked as to not to be rude but more with curiosity.

Unmoving, Yuki was deep in thought, "Illyasviel Kasukezaki, She is the younger sister of Himiko Kasukezaki. Both girls are born from a Japanese Father and East European Mother." She finally answered but still unmoving, "Back when I was stationed in the Living Realm prior to 2011, I attended a private academy." she continued telling Jarrus about her deployment in the Living World while undercover as a human.

Jarrus nods in understanding, "Ah, I think I know where this is going." he says, "I was stationed in Rome before the collapse of the Empire." Telling Yuki about his deployment in the Living World.

Knowing this information, Yuki looks to Jarrus with serious expression, "Then you know how likely it is to run into someone you once knew." he tells him, Jarrus shows agreement with a nod. The odds of running into someone after deployment were nonexistent but there were still some chances, either by coincidence or seeking them out.

"Even if that does happen, there's a protocol for it." Jarrus reminds Yuki about what to do when a situation like that occurs.

The Commander-Supreme nods in agreement but also expression distaste for the idea, "Yes, however this is a very complicated matter. I can't just follow through with The Protocol as I'd like." she explains showing her frustration.

Seeing Yuki's frustration, Jarrus inches away from her giving her some space to vent, "So what are you going to do about it?" he casually asks.

Yuki pauses to think about what to do. It's obvious everyone one in the IFFY was listening in and expecting an answer, "As Comander-Supreme, I will do nothing. It's my call, not the Brotherhood's." She finally speaks up. As the Main Head of the Coalition, she has ultimate say in the Brotherhood affairs of this world, "Besides, the JSDF is going to have a helluva time explaining to their General that they ran into us." She adds.

Jarrus is unsure how to feel about Yuki's last sentence, "Unless they don't explain it at all." he said. Leaving out the encounter with another army would save a lot on paperwork as well as avoid a confrontation.

Yuki sounded a hum in response, "Exactly." she remarked which was where she was heading. No encounter means no paperwork.

 **Coda Village**

Upon arriving at Coda Village, Itami and a few others took to finding the Chief of the Village, the rest of the JSDF exited out their vehicles and left to secure the area and kept their eyes to the skies.

Itami along side Kuwabara approached the Chief, a little booklet in Itami's hand for translation, (Oh, it's you guys again.) The Chieftain greeted with a bit of surprise. He wasn't expecting them so soon, (What can I do for you?) The Chieftain asked. Those in his household come out and stand casually behind him, all curious at the Men in Green before them.

Before Itami could answer, the Brotherhood vehicles rolled through passing them by. They stopped further down the road closer and unloaded off the vehicles, Both Brotherhood Soldiers and Guardian Troopers began securing the area, ((All units, spread out!)) Yuki ordered in english, ((I want eyes in the sky, stat!))

((You heard Commander-Supreme! Move it!)) Jarrus reinforced Yuki's Command. Some Brotherhood Soldiers helped each other to get onto the roofs for overwatch positions. Jarrus pointed out to where the squads should go. The Guardians and Brotherhood were broken up into pairs as they spread out through the village, all of which were looking to the sky as ordered.

By this time, Yuki had made herself over to where Itami was, "Itami, Tell them about the Dragon." She says to the lieutenant in Japanese. Just as approached Itami, she stops and turns to look at Jarrus off in the distance.

Still not used to it, Itami pauses for a moment before speaking up, "I was getting to that." he said.

The Chieftain looks between Yuki and Itami and notices how different the Brotherhood and JSDF uniforms were, although he is surprised to see a woman in what appears to him as a knight's armor, (Are they with you?) he curiously asks.

Itami scans through the pages of the translation booklet. Once done he looks to the Chieftain, (Yes..and...No.) He replies him with a rough accent, also unsure if the Brotherhood was really with them.

As the people watched, they noticed the Guardians first and foremost and recognized their infamous and distinctive white armor, (The White Knights of Gardeeyan.) The people behind the Chieftain exclaimed in awe, (The Rumors are true!) One of them announced. While they heard the rumors, most of them dismissed it as mere hogwash but now that they had seen them first hand, they humbled by their presence.

Itami picks up on the reactions of the villagers at the sight of those in White Armor; the Gardeeyans. He then puts to and to together that the villagers were saying Guardian in english which intrigues him. Based on what Itami seeing, the Guardians already have made a name for themselves here in the Special Region.

Sergeant Major Kuwabara casually observes the Brotherhood, Villagers, and Guardians, he picks up on the training both the Brotherhood and Guardians have. As a drill sergeant himself, Kuwabara sees what they are doing different than what he taught; The Guardians are more open and spread apart, The Brotherhood remain stationary but constantly checks their sectors.

One of the villagers see Yuki flag down a pair of Brotherhood soldiers then points over to a field. A young woman leans over to one of the men to say something, (That woman there, she must be their leader.) she says aloud which prompts a nod from said man.

Yuki continues to direct her men with a fierce tone, ((If there's anything in the sky bigger than the FATTY, I want to hear about it!)) She shouts.

Itami realizes he's getting off track and turns to the Chieftain pulling out his phone, (Big Bird...burn down village...in forest.) he tells the Chieftain who barely understands him.

At this point, Yuki hears this and rolls her eyes, "Put a sock in it Itami." She tells the Second Lieutenant before approaching the Chieftain, (You village must flee. Fire Dragon in area.) She tells him with a clear enough accent.

(A Fire Dragon? Ah, The Flame Dragon!?) Confused at first, The Chieftain clearly understands after a brief moment. The villagers also hear this and become concerned, (Yes, we must flee.) he agrees before turning to the villagers and directing them to spread the news and pack up.

Again, the Commander-Supreme continues to surprise Itami, Kuwabara is also surprised at the conversation being taken place. Both men were sure the JSDF were the only foreigners in the Special Region but it looks to them they weren't the first ones.

(Flame Dragon burn village in forest...) Yuki continues mentioning what she learned from Itami, (...All dead, all burned.)

The Chieftain looks shocked at the news despite Yuki's grammar, (The entire village is gone?!) he exclaims with grave concern.

Yuki shakes her head and holds up one finger, (One survivor.) She reassures him, (...Gold Hair, Pointy Ears, Female. Can you take?) asking if the village would be able to take the Elf Girl they found in the well.

The Chieftain takes off his hat in respect for the dead and the poor girl shaking his head in response, (No, we can't take care of an Elf. We have to take care of our own.) he tells Yuki with pity. Yuki doesn't react negatively and allows the Chieftain to finish, (Once the Flame Dragon as tasted human or elf, it will stop at nothing to feast on more. We must get away from here as far possible.) Explaining the Flame Dragon's behaviour to both Yuki and Itami as well as what the village plan to do next in light of recent events.

Word travels fast around the Village. Villagers panic and scramble to gather their belongings, Each household packs up and loads everything onto carriages. Outside the Village, was the home of famed wizard Master Kato. His Magic was so destructive, he once created a water reservoir using explosion magic.

Once he had heard about the Flame Dragon, like the villagers, he quickly started packing his things. He also had an apprentice who help him pack his things into a wagon he had. The apprentice was Lelei La Lenana, she had silver hair and turquoise colored eyes donning on a robe underneath a small poncho.

Coming out of his home carrying stacks of books, Kato couldn't see where he was stepping and staggered as he made his was down the stairs, (...Sonova...) he cursed swaying back and forth until he misstepped on the last step and tumbled over to his back.

Hearing her Master's crash, Lelei simply turned her head to look at him like it was a normal occurrence, (Master, we can't load anything else in the cart.) she told him. The cart Kato had was already full, his belongings were level with the cart's walls and already tarpped over.

Frustrated, Kato pouted and hit the ground, (Lelei! I need to take my books with me! You hear me!) He cried then stopped pouting and looked to his apprentice with concern, (Lelei, you've got to come up with something.)

Lelei remained stoic, (Certainly, the books with spells and incantations should be given the highest value.) she suggested.

(Ah yes.) Kato agree getting back up to his feet, (You really are a genius, aren't you. Why is there a Dragon here anyway. Most peculiar.) Thr Master Wizard began to ramble as he collected all the items he dropped, (50 years sooner than I expected.)

Lelei didn't pay him any attention and continued to her focus on the cart as instructed.

(What am I do to without any sort of warning?) Kato continued then rambled off again about some other things.

Once Lelei was finished with attending the Cart, she turned to Kato to inform him of the time, (Master, we really need to ride.) She informs him, reminding him that they are in a bit of a hurry.

Kato has his mind somewhere else and dismisses her, (Pardon me, how can you be so lewd? I'm way too old to be riding a young girl such as yourself.) The Master Wizard responds as if he heard something else, which wouldn't be surprising due to his old age, (Now your sister, your sister's another story.) He adds before gesturing a feminine figure with a large chest, small waist and wide hips.

Lelei continues to remain stoic but she is insulted by her Master's words and proceeds to respond accordingly. She raises a hand towards the rather perverted old man to use her magic and blasts him with hails of magical spheres.

The projectiles hit Kato like a series of light jabs causing him to raise his hands and tries to protect himself, (Hey! Magic is the World's most sacred thing and such never be used for trivial matters.) he defends himself as he is rained on.

Some time has passed their ordeal and everything Kato wanted was loaded into the cart. Taking the seat next to Lelei who had the reins, he sighed in relief as he was not being hailed on anymore.

(Ok, we really need to work on your sense of humor.) Kato commented.

(If I don't have one, it's because of your teachings.) Lelei shot back.

Lelei lifts the reins and whips the Donkey prompting it to move forward however the Donkey pulls and tries to take a step forward but doesn't move. The Donkey whinnies and stops pulling the heavy cart, being stubborn it refuses to move or even attempt to pull the heavy cart.

(We're not moving.) Kato states the obvious, "I don't suppose you overloaded the cart.) he half-heartedly jokes.

Lelei remains emotionless, (You wanted all of your books, Master. You should have expected something like this.) she reminds him.

(Well it's a good thing we're wizards. Let's magic it out.) Master Kato suggested although it would contradict his earlier statement.

Seeing an opportunity, Lelei casually looks to Kato, ("Magic is the World's most sacred thing, it should never be used for trivial matters.") She recited what Kato had told her earlier, (Your words if I remember.)

(Yeah...well...) Stumped, Kato struggled to find a comeback.

Lelei wasn't finished but in fact supported her Master's choice of words, (In this case, I believe we're out of options.) She says before taking her staff and casted a levitation spell which lofts the heavy cart off the cart making it almost weightless.

Remorseful, Kato has little left to say, (Uh...sorry.) he apologizes as the Donkey starts to move towards town.

(It's fine. I'm use to it.) Lelei assures her Master.

Meanwhile, the as the pair arrive in Coda Village, most of the households already have loaded their belongings into their wagons and carriages and are already on the main road awaiting to leave the village in a single file.

(What's going on?) Kato asks immediately taking notice the single file line has stopped, (Why aren't we moving?)

Shortly after asking out loud, a local villager heard this and ran over, (Master Kato, Lelei, Someone overloaded their cart and snapped their axel.) He answered. He seemed rushed and panicked for fear of the Dragon.

Just as Kato was about to speak, a third voice spoke out, ((You and you, secure the area!)) the voice barked, ((We could use a medic!))

(I've never heard a language like that.) Kato commented unfamiliar with the dialect. Further down the road, a female appeared from in between the carts revealing dark colored clothing with tiny square patterns and a knights chest piece with pauldrons. Shortly after her appearance, a second female but this one wore green clothing in what could only be described as green leather armor.

(I've never seen clothes like those before.) Lelei remarked as they found the pair most unusual.

The two unfamiliar individuals conversed for a brief moment before the one in dark clothing pointed then the woman in green nodded, (A female soldiers? A Commanding Officer?) Kato deduced, noticing the body language and the intent without having to hear what was spoken.

Curious, Lelei put the reins down and proceed to leave the wagon, (I shall go take a look Master.) She said before hopping off and headed towards the incident.

(Lelei, wait!) Kato pleaded as if not wanting to be left alone.

Lelei makes it over to the incident sure enough there is a knocked over carriage and horse on the ground in a frenzy, she the approaches a little local girl resting in the ground injured. The girl has a scrape on her head and breathing rather quickly, Lelei kneels down for a closer look, (Life threatening injuries.) she states as noticing the head injury.

The woman in dark clothing was directing earlier turned out to be Kurokawa. She too kneels down beside the little girl and looks over the injury, "It looks like suffered a concussion, and a few broken ribs." she says aloud proceeds to respond accordingly based in her first-aid and medical training.

In disbelief, Lelei looks to the Kurokawa inspired, (You're a healer?) she asks softly but wasn't loud enough for her to hear.

A brief moment passes by and the frenzied horse gets up from the ground catching both Kurokawa and Lelei off guard. It stands up whining preparing to attack both girls who look back in surprise but just as the horse is about to move it is hailed with bolts of light. Guardian Troopers were quick to act and once they were done, a Brotherhood Soldier up on the roof jumps down clotheslining the horse to the ground, pulls out his pistol and outs a few rounds into it's head making sure it stayed dead.

Recovering from the event, Lelei looks stunned processing what just happened. Kurokawa looks relieved and shortly afterwards the commanding woman along with another man in green arrives, ((What happened?)) The commanding woman asked looking to both the Guardians and the Brotherhood Soldier.

((Ma'am, The Horse was about to go berserk.)) One of the Guardians answered.

Regaining her composure, Lelei began looking over the Guardians that saved her, (White Armor, Knights, Magic Rods, Bolts of Light...) She stated as she picked out Key features of the Guardians, she then remembered the rumors regarding the key features, (...The White Knights of Gardeeyan.)

The woman in looked to the dead horse and the individuals beside the injured local. She paused as she looked at Lelei who was in awe, ((Congratulations, you just saved these folks.)) She told the Guardians and waved them off before turning to the Brotherhood Soldier resting on the horse, ((We need to move now, and Get this damn cart out of the way.)) she says pointing to the broken carriage blocking the road. Once the road was clear, then the carriage pileup would start rolling again and hopefully before the Dragon arrives.

 **On the Road**

After leaving the Coda Village, The JSDF took point and led the train of carriages while the Brotherhood/Guardians following in behind at the very end. The carriages formed a single file line from end to end distancing about one and a half kilometers or just under one mile. Both Guardian and Brotherhood infantry were hoofing it along side the carriages spread out within the carriage train line making sure everyone was in order and safely proceeding along the trail, this would allow the much older folk and younger children to ride in both the JSDF and Brotherhood Vehicles.

Back in the Brotherhood IFFY, Commaner-Supreme and her Second-in-Command stood near the front in between the IFFY's gunner and driver. While the JSDF filled their vehicle seats with children, the Brotherhood vehicles were filled with elderly people. The elderly couldn't believe such luxuries existed in self-moving carriages, many of them were intrigued at the ingenuity of the IFFY and FATTY because this was something new they got to experience in their long life.

Yuki had leaned herself against the wall of the IFFY, arms crossed and deep in thought. Jarrus watched the gunner's screen whom had been scanning their sectors left and right then to the skies.

Soon enough the carriage train would come to a halt. Yuki promptly sighed, "Man, this is such a drag." She commented aloud although she was talking about something else rather than the topic at hand.

Jarrus turned to look at Yuki but then returned to the gunner's screen knowing full well what she was thinking, "Y'know, When we get back to the base your going to have to write a report about our encounter with the JSDF." He said as he continued to monitor the area with the IFFY's gunner.

"To hell with that." Yuki groaned, "I can't stress enough how complicated this matter already is." she states covering her face with both her hands and pulling down stretching her face's skin to show her frustration.

"I'd hate to be in your shoes." Jarrus added. He points to a spot on the monitor to which the IFFY's gunner zooms in on the spot revealing to be local wildlife.

The elderly people in the IFFY don't understand the conversation between Jarrus and Yuki but they can clearly see Yuki's distress but don't do anything to bother the woman.

After moments come to pass, Yuki looks stumped, "I'll talk to Itami yet and see what we can do." she said.

Meanwhile, outside the IFFY, midway of the Carriage Train, there seemed to be a soft spot in the trail which made the carriages difficult to across. Thankfully, The Brotherhood, Guardians, and JSDF were there to help push these carriages through the mud until an alternative was found shortly after getting a dozen carriages through.

The Carriage Train got moving again but was stopped again shortly afterwards. More closer to the JSDF Vehicles, one carriage had it's axel snap due to being overloaded and going over rough terrain. Sergeant Major Kuwabara took to overseeing the damage, "That axel is gone. We can't do much about it." He tells Itami and the Chieftain. The owner of the Carriage stood by along with his family.

The Chieftain pitied the owner of the carriage but his concern was with the Dragon, (We can't stay here, we're sitting ducks for the Dragon.) he said.

A pair of Guardian troopers who stopped to help looked amongst each other then to another pair that arrived, ((Why don't we go get that tree and make a new axel.)) one of the Guardians arriving said and pointed to a semi-large tree not far from the trail that would make a decent replacement.

Sergeant Major Kuwabara over heard this and approached the Guardians, ((Even if we could, we don't have the proper materials.)) he told them. Being a drill instructor, Kuwabara had the opportunity to train with American Soldiers from time to time, also it was a requirement to learn english if and when the JSDF was to train with the Americans.

The Guardians however ignored Kuwabara and brushed him off. Three of the four Guardians left whole one of them approached Itami, ((In the mean time, get these people moving.)) He told him before leaving with his comrades. The both JSDF personal didn't have room to argue but did nothing and watched the Guardians instead to see what they were up to.

Once at the tree, The Guardians pointed their rifles at the base and opened fire. The lasers chopped and ate through the wood and before long the tree fell over. Once down, two Guardians drew their energy knives and trimmed the bark and branches turning it into a wooden beam. It wasn't perfect but it would do for the time being and before long the replacement axel was changed.

The owner of the carriage looked extremely grateful standing in front of the guardian troopers, (How can we ever repay you?) he and his family asked. For this deed they couldn't ever repay these White Knights.

The Guardian however place both hands on the man's shoulders and forcefully turned him around and basically pushed him towards his carriage, (You go, You prosper.) The Guardian told him and gave him a good push once more. Without protesting, the man proceeded to his carriage. Itami picked up on the behavior of the Guardians while the Chieftain looked on in awe further reinforcing the rumors the White Knights had built.

Eventually the Carriage Train got moving again. Within JSDF Vehicles, the Children quietly waited and smiled while looking out the window. Kuwokawa had been watching them since they left the village but also keeping the injured child close to her if need be. Itami and the others didn't have much to do and patiently waited until the next destination.

Kuwokawa appeared trouble, mainly regarding the Brotherhood and Guardians, "Lieutenant, I've been thinking..." She trailed almost as if asking for permission.

"What's on your mind Kurokawa?" Itami asked wanting to hear what she thought.

Kuwokawa remained silent until she found the correct phrase to speak, "...What do we tell the Major about these...foreigners?" she asked wondering about the aftermath of their encounter.

Itami thought about that too but was more concerned with the matter at hand. His focus was with how well-organized and well-equip they were. Unsure how to answer, Itami instead changed the subject, "For starters, we know next to nothing about them, however based on what we seen as of late, they're pretty well-off. Compared to us, they might as well be the United States' Armed Forces." he answered and gave a comparison to what he knew.

Kurata interjected on the conversation, "Yeah, but what about those guys in White Armor?" He added reminding everyone in the vehicle about the Guardians alongside the Brotherhood.

The Guardians were as if they were the elephant in the room they forgot about. It was obvious they were different from the Brotherhood Soldiers, "They're obviously a part of a different Army. I would guess they're a part of a Coalition." He answered. Though he was particularly interested in the technology the Guardians had, the JSDF superiors definitely would be interested in their technology.

The vehicle fell quiet saved for the children in the back chatting amongst themselves. There wasn't much to discuss after such conversation, as to he expected with long road trips.

Itami however pondered on the Brotherhood information they received so far and made several mental notes, however some thing was bothering him, "Hey, Tomita." The lieutenant called turning to Tomita sitting in the back, "When Ilya was shot, what kind of rounds were used?" he asked. If the Guardians were using energy-directed weapons, he wondered what the rounds were for the Brotherhood, sure they looked like ballistic weapons but the JSDF didn't know for sure.

Tomita was there when Ilya was shot by the Brotherhood Ranger; Mintah, and helped her recover. In response, Tomita reached into his pocket and pulled out what appeared to be spikes, two of which are bent, "They looked like small railway spikes or tiny SABOT rounds." he said handing over the straighter spike over to Itami. Tomita intended to study the spikes for analysis.

Having the Spike in hand, Itami inspected the spike. It appeared to be 1-1/2 inches long with a diameter of 1/4 inch however the mid-section of the spike grew to 3/8 before coming to a point. A round like this going as fast as a bullet would tear through anything, including armor, basically behaving like a Anti-tank SABOT round. It had a bit of dry blood at the tip, likely from Ilya when she was hit, luckily Ilya's Plate Carrier stopped the round from going deeper.

Itami finished looking over the round and hand it back to Tomita, "If this is just a recon team, I'd hate to see their main force." he commented. If these the Brotherhood foreigners was equipped with these rounds, the JSDF infantry wouldn't last long in a firefight but the scarier though was if all their vehicles were equipped with these SABOTs, which sadly they are.

A while later down the road, the Driver; Kurata, spotted something in the middle of the road, "What is that?" He asked aloud slowing the vehicle to a stop. Every JSDF member turned to Kurata then looked in the direction the was looking.

Off about 4-500 meters ahead from the Carriage Train, there was a group of individuals surrounded by crows and waiting. Squatting down, one of the individuals appear to be wearing Gothic Lolita outfit who smiled with intrigue and the group around her wore tan burlaps covering their bodies and head, two of the cloaked individuals appeared smaller then the rest.

Back in the Brotherhood IFFY, when the Carriage Train came to a halt, The driver activated the map segment in the Relay Comm to scan what halted them and immediately noticed something off, "Ma'am." The Driver called out to Commander-Supreme.

Yuki came over in response, "Why have we stopped?" she asked.

Following the trail of dots, which indicated Life Energies, The Driver halted the screen on the group ahead of the Carriage Train, "I'm picking up signatures ahead of us." After a brief scan the Driver turned to Commander-Supreme, "They're Guardians." he told her.

Rolling her eyes, Yuki stormed towards the back hatch of the IFFY, "Ugh, Sonovabitch!" she cursed as she manually opened the door and furiously putting her her shades. The Sun beamed into the IFFY causing everyone shield their eyes save for the Brotherhood personal.

Jarrus being next to Yuki, almost instinctively asked what was up but shortly after seeing her storm off, he refrained from speaking and decided to let her leave. Once off the IFFY, Yuki would walk at a fast pace along the Carriage Cart towards the front.

Back at the JSDF vehicles, moments turned to minutes as they awaited for the group ahead to move. It was as if it turned into a stalemate however it wasn't the case when the Goth Lolita stood up to her feet and started to approach the Carriage Train. The rest followed with her. The children in the vehicles identified the Goth Lolita and all jumped out to meet her, (It's Rory! Rory the Reaper! Rory the Apostle!) They exclaimed as they climbed out of the JSDF vehicle but however stopped when Yuki stormed by them.

Seeing Yuki pass them by, Kurata frowned in confusion, "What's she doing?" he questioned.

"I don't know." Itami answered.

As Yuki began approaching the group, Rory stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing Yuki. Immediately recognizing Yuki, five of the cloaked figures removed their hoods revealing to be Jurai and his Scout Team. The Guardians Scouts looked amongst each other but their Scout Helmets hid their expressions however their body language said they were confused. The other two cloaked figures stood by concerned about what was going to happen.

Tomita picked up on the helmet designs which were different from the Guardians in White, "What kind of Soldiers are those?" He asked aloud, not to anyone specific but hoping someone would answer.

"I'm guessing more Guardians." Itami replied seeing the camouflage pattern along with the detailed stripes on Jurai's helmet, "A part of their Coalition maybe." Itami continued but wasn't sure if they really were with Commander-Supreme's group.

Yuki approached the group and Rory stepped aside with a frown on her face, The Commander-Supreme was more interested in the Guardians. Itami and the rest of the JSDF watched Yuki frantically move about, it was clear she was frustrated and angry as if going on a tirade. It was obvious she was scolding them.

Yuki paused and let the Guardians respond however when they did Yuki took a swung at one of the Guardian Scouts. The Punch was strong enough to knock him to the ground, "Ooo~." The JSDF personal sounded in unison upon seeing the punch.

Yuki shook off the shock from her punch and materialized her Katana along with it's sheath, thankfully her gloves with knuckle protectors absorbed most of the punch's impact. The unfortunate Guardian Scout on the ground had his Helmet's jawline cracked, Yuki's punch must have been considerably strong to be able crack poly designed to stop bullets. The rest of the Guardian Scouts looked between Yuki and their comrade unsure how to react.

Once Yuki recovered, she pointed to Jurai and recognize him from the Spiritual Realm GATE but that was beside the point, "You had one job! One!" Yuki shouted reminding them of their past duties, scolding the Guardians before her. The trio of girls simply stood by in shock.

Jurai took a step forward in defense, "With all due respect, Mission parameters may have been clear but were not limited to-." He slumped over mid-sentence, Yuki interrupted him by jabbing his stomach with the butt end of her Katana which resulted in damaging the Guardian's Stomach Plate.

As Jurai dropped to the ground, Yuki turned to the rest of the standing Guardians raising her holstered Katana preparing to strike them, "You let your morals jeopardize a mission that should've been simple enough, however I'll let you off the hook this time because I wasn't clear before." She explained as she beat them with the Katana's sheath, "Next time, just ask yourselves what would Guardian High Command want you to do." she finished once the Guardians were on the ground.

While the Guardian Scout Troopers were being scolded and disciplined accordingly, Rory Mercury couldn't believe what was in front of her, It was beyond baffling. Being the Apostle of Emroy, she could sense Life and Death before her and the individual in front of her was in fact a dead soul, a spirit without it's vessel, but Yuki stood there interacting physically with the world around her. Was this Hardy's idea of a bad joke? Whatever the case, Rory found the ordeal rather insulting.

After the Guardians got back up, Yuki directed them to join the Carriage Train along side their Regular Guardian counterparts. The group of five hobbled over to join the train but Yuki remained behind and turned to the other trio, (You girls okay?) she asked them politely dematerializing her sword in a flurry of wisps.

Rory didn't respond but felt an arry of emotions at she stared at Yuki, she was a mixed bag to Rory as well as a slap to the face and yet intriguing, more so she was able to make a sword appear and disappear at will. Whoever this was, Rory couldn't wait to unravel this unprecedented individual before the Apostle.

* * *

 **The more you know:**

 **Brotherhood Standard Munitions - The Standard Munitions for all Brotherhood Weapons share the idea of SABOTs. An elongated spike tucked into a three-piece housing unit of various sizes of rounds. The Spike naturally acts as an armor piecing round designed to wiggle between into fabric weaves, nooks and crannies of armor pieces, and thin enough material.**

 **Protocol 45E-1-17-252075 - Simply known as the "IRL Protocol", It is a mandatory action that has to be taken when a Brotherhood Personal meets an individual from their past Tour of the Living World if one was stationed in the Living World to begin with. The Action follows the individual have their soul stripped from their body, the soul/spirit is to be taken into the service of the Brotherhood while leave the body in a comatose state until it dies. This protocol can take action between a total of 80 years depending how well the individual knows the Brotherhood Personal.**

 **Special Region Religion: Hardy - Hardy is the goddess of the Special Region's versions of the underworld and ruler of hell.**

 **Special Region Religion: Emroy - is the God of Darkness, War, Death, Violence, and Insanity of the Special Region. Occasionally this God will cover Crime and Execution periodically.**

 **Roma River - The Roma River runs in between two mountains and runs parallel with the main road that leads to Alnus.**

 **Kuro Yuri Private Academy - The (rather fictional) Private Academy of Kuro Yuri is an esteem High School with entrance requirements comparable to university. Academy fees and tuition are expensive but those who can afford it, it's students are given the best education in almost any field. The Private Academy doesn't pull any punches when it comes to assignments or administrative paperwork, the student must give their 100% and challenge their limits and prove they want to be there, this severely impacts nepotism often employed by rich families and individuals with great influence. Kuro Yuri doesn't discriminate based on Financial Class, if one has the aptitude for education, The Academy welcomes it with open arms. Himiko Kasukezaki, Yuki, and Shinko have attended this Academy at the same time.**


	9. Chapter 9

Some Context:

Eisenreich Steel - Steel from Eisenreich is not actually steel but rather a steel composite blended nicely to form a strong metal capable to withstand the metaphysics that is the Spiritual Realm.

Brotherhood "Entity" Classes: Colossal - The Ghost Brotherhood has Classifications for different types of Entities within he Spiritual Realm, One of which being the Colossal Class. As the name implies, Colossals are massive ranging over 60 meters in height or larger. An example of a Colossal is the Native American Thunderbird, whose talons have been said to rip the very roots of the earth.

 **Special Region, Canyon**

With the JSDF vehicles taking the lead and the Carriage Train going as fast as the horse, It's been a couple of days since they left Coda Village. They found themselves in a large canyon and hopefully far enough away from the Dragon. The Guardian Scouts Yuki disciplined, Jurai and his team, spread themselves amongst the Carriage Train, often hitching rides with the locals.

Rory however couldn't stand an aching feeling she had just being near Yuki and seated herself with the JSDF, because of this Rory couldn't be her usual playful self but instead remained quiet and process what was going on.

Still following in behind of the Carriage Train making sure no one was left behind, The Brotherhood vehicles slowly but surely wheeled along. The elderly folk were given back to their families to allow the Brotherhood and Guardian personal into the IFFY.

Inside the IFFY it was quiet, not even a whisper. It was quite boring being in behind a long convoy, each soldier and trooper quiet waiting for time to pass. There were a few who found things to do; Mundy and another Soldier were playing tic-tac-toe, Mintah was toying with his knife twirling it around his hand practicing his knife skills, Jarrus and the IFFY's gunner quietly scanning the ridge lines for activity. Commander-Supreme Yuki leaning against the IFFY's wall, arms and legs crossed, eyes closed, she appeared to he meditating by the looks of it.

Moments later, a female soldier finally had enough and spoke up, "Hey, Commander-Supreme." she called out. Yuki promptly opened her eyes and gave a blank stare in response, "Where are we even going?" The female soldier asked.

Yuki shrugged her shoulders, "Wherever the JSDF are going I suppose." she answered sluggishly before returning to her meditation.

Sometime after, the environment in the IFFY livened up a bit with chatter, Yuki opened one of her eyes to see what they fuss was about and saw only two of the Brotherhood soldiers were whispering to each other as if they were conspiring.

Yuki, taken away from her meditation now had her full attention divided to just these two soldiers, "What're you two going on about?" she asked them with an assertive tone.

Turning to Yuki, two pair looked to each other in response and gave each other a wide grim before looking back to Commander-Supreme, "Nothing, Commander-Supreme. We're talkin' about how you like to sing." One of the two answered, reading on his chest plate; Pvt. Scheele.

Unsure about their motives, Yuki rose an eyebrow, "I do when I can." she blandly answered as if questioning the conversation.

At this point, the other soldiers were listening in onto the conversation, "Me and the guys were actually thinking about singing you a song." Scheele stated and offered to kill the silence with a jaunty tune.

"Oh?" Yuki sounded, a bit surprise by the response.

Jarrus who hand bee listening, he too was taken by surprise.

Outside soaring across the canyon, a very large serpentine creature darted towards the Carriage Train. Coming from the horizon full speed, everyone would be caught by surprise.

Back inside the IFFY, The Brotherhood Marine, Mundy, pulled out a harmonica and begin playing what sounded to be a latin tune. The rest of the Soldiers with stomp the floor to create a beat. The Guardians and Jarrus would simply watch and see where the Brotherhood was going with this.

As the beat went, Mundy playing, Scheele started to sing, " _Sexy._ " he said as he gestured the outline of a woman's hourglass figure, " _Art_." Giving Yuki the hand gesture for "OK".

Yuki chuckled at the gestures.

Scheele didn't stop and placed a hand over where his heart would be, " _I love your style, gurl._ " He said to her, " _Put on me._ "

As the music started rolling, Yuki nodded along with the beat of the Soldier's boots.

Scheele then gave Yuki a rather intimate expression, " _Me and the boys gonna let the Commander-Supreme know, She's got it goin' on._ " he continued.

The Commander-Surpeme however started to become suspicious at the expression and stopped nodding to the beat. She looks to Scheele with a turned head and confused frown.

" _Uh!_ " Scheele sounds and gestures a hard thrust with his arms before reaching out to Yuki and again a hand over his heart, " _Shawty!_ " he calls out. By this time, all of the Brotherhood Soldiers were grinning as if they were in on the idea.

"What're you-" ; " _HEY SEXY LADY!_ " Yuki questioned but was immediately interrupted by a loud conjoined chorus of all the Brotherhood Soldiers, " _I like your flow!_ " They sang in unison.

Yuki however was unamused and covered her face with a hand to hide her embarrassment. She couldn't believe what she fell for and rather than giving them an earful, she let them continue to have their fun, after all she did have it coming. Jarruss, the Driver, and the Gunner all paid no attention to the chorus.The Guardians found the situation a bit odd but nonetheless enjoyed the atmosphere.

The Brotherhood Soldiers just continued to sing, " _Your body's bangin'...Out of Control!_ " Annoying the Commander-Supreme due to lack of entertainment, they found something to do as they waited, " _Your booty on me...ceiling to floor! Only you can make me...scream and beg for more!_ "

Upon finishing the chorus, something big hit the side of the IFFY with enough force to tip the Infantry Fighting Vehicle on it's side. All the Guardians sitting on one side fell on top of the Brotherhood Soldiers sitting on the other side, it was a dog pile and immediately everyone clamored as a result.

Mintah, who was still playing with his knife when the IFFY tipped let out a loud groaned, "That was the knife." he said shortly after the clamoring died down. Apparently he stabbed himself when the Guardians fell on top of them.

Underneath all the bodies, Yuki went from embarrassed to annoyed and struggled to get to her feet, "What the hell hit us?!" she demanded as she and the others attempted to get to their feet.

"Open the back hatch!" Jarrus ordered. He and the gunner were they inly ones completely fine as the two held on to the chair gunner's chair.

Outside the IFFY, the loud flaps of the Dragon can be heard. The Locals in their Carriages saw what had happened and began to panic and disperse unwittingly making a much wider area of attack for the Flame Dragon.

The sudden loud bang of the IFFY behind hit caught those in the FATTY off guard and the sudden appearance of the Flame Dragon took them by surprise. The driver looking in the side mirror and seen the IFFY on it's side, "Shit, IFFY took a hit!" he announce but they already knew that because of the Dragon flying overhead.

Ignoring the IFFY for a moment, the gunner kept his eyes on the Massive Serpentine Creature, "That Dragon's huge!" He commented before turning to the IFFY. As the situation became chaotic, the IFFY seemed to get further and further as they drove.

"What do we do?!" One of the Brotherhood members sitting in the FATTY asked.

The FATTY's gunner pulled back the FATTY's mounted machine gun hammer and cocked it, "Engage!" he announced and banged on the roof to allow the driver to move to engagement.

The driver did as instructed and turned the FATTY to face the Flame Dragon. Those sitting in the FATTY leaned out the windows with weapons ready, save for the driver. They were ready to engage, however it's not like a bunch of needle rounds will do anything significant.

Back at the JSDF vehicles, the sudden eruption of gun fire caught the attentions of the JSDF and all Kurata could see is a large crowd panicking in his rear view mirror. As everyone was confused, Rory who had been fighting at "certain" urge, sudden felt a stronger sensation as someone was preparing to fight a battle.

That's when they saw the massive creature soaring in the Sky, The Flame Dragon they saw before and warned the locals about. Kurata also had seen the IFFY off in the distance laying on it's side and the FATTY moving to attack, "What're they doing?" He questioned as the FATTY followed the Dragon.

The FATTY's gunner lined up the Flame Dragon with the crosshairs of the FATTY's mounted Machine Gun and fired. The Machine Gun rattled the IFFY's roof in short controlled bursts and as the needle rounds struck the Dragon's thick scales, most of the ricocheted off and a few exceptions bouncing off, "Thready Needles ineffective!" Ceasing his firing, the Gunner announced.

One of the two Brotherhood Soldiers sitting in the back then put two and two together, "That's a Colossal-Class Entity! Aim for the weak points!" He deduced.

Realizing this was the case, The FATTY's Gunner acknowledged, "Roger! We need to get it to turn around to shoot at it's ugly mug!" He said aloud.

Almost promptly, the Flame Dragon halted it's speed into a hover and turned around with ease but it's horrendous gaze locked on to the FATTY.

Caught in it's gaze, the FATTY's Gunner froze instead of firing, "Incoming!" he shouted as he began to realize what was going to happen in the next 15 seconds.

Hearing this, everyone knew what the Gunner meant, "Bail?" The Driver questioned.

"Bail!" The Brotherhood Soldiers all said in unison before opening the doors to the FATTY, including the driver. The Gunner reacted by climbing from the Gunner's sunroof and onto the Roof before jumping off.

The Flame Dragon took a swoop with it's massive claws, The Driver barely touched it's claws and luckily out of it's path but the FATTY wasn't so fortunate. The massive talons of the Dragon tore through the cab's steel like tin foil, tearing and ripping apart the interior as it passed by. The FATTY was made with Eisenreich steel suppled to the Brotherhood for their War machines and despite being strong steel it was still no match for a Dragon.

Narrowly escaping a second death, the Brotherhood Soldiers tumbled managIng to escape with their lives. As they quickly got up to stand, the Flame Dragon passed them over and while their attentions were watching it fly, they all failed to notice the FATTY completely wrecked. With the FATTY out of commission the Flame Dragon redirected it's attention towards the Carriages dispersing apart.

Turning around, the JSDF Convoy at the front started to head towards the Flame Dragon at full speed their vehicles would allow. Their main focus was to draw the attention of the Flame Dragon away from the dispersing crowd of locals while also keeping their soldiers from harm.

Unfortunately, the Flame Dragon's speed was too fast and ultimately started attacking the fleeing locals. The Flame Dragon was quick to level a large area with it's fire breath burning a fraction for the fleeing villagers into charred corpses, it swooped by clasping many of the Coda villagers in it's massive talons and it's jaws following by the dying screams of the villagers.

One of the villagers knelt down in exhaustion from the long trek up until his point was ready to die and let the dragon take her however pleads from the husband and son cried out for her to keep going, she refused to listen and closed her eyes as if their gods had damned them to die. As she awaited for the inevitable, loud rapid bangs erupted behind her followed by the sound of a growling lion.

Turning around to see, she gazes upon the green horseless carriage the Men-in-Green use to travel. Like a knight riding on horseback coming to save the day, the mother couldn't help but feel awestruck.

Bullets fired at the Flame Dragon merely bounced off much like the Brotherhood needle-rounds but it did catch the attention of the Flame Dragon enough to focus it's attention on the green colored vehicles.

The Flame Dragon let out a loud roar then almost promptly beams of lasers struck the Dragon's head but with little effect. The Scout Troopers spread throughout began engaging the Dragon, The Flame Dragon turned to see where the beams were coming from but the Guardian Scout Troopers present continued to unleash a barrage of Lasers making it very difficult to pinpoint the locations. The Flame Dragon opened it's open to laze a wide area in fire however one of the laser bolts struck inside it's mouth and it turned away in pain, it's elongated neck like whipping away from the Laser Beams.

It gazes upon the JSDF Vehicles riding around shooting at it but like the arrows from the Elf Village, the bullets continue to have no effect. It roars to the sky now ignoring the Lasers striking it from behind before going after the JSDF Vehicles with the JSDF fleeing in return to draw the large creature away from the villagers.

As the JSDF moved drawing the Flame Dragon away, The Brotherhood and Guardians finally crawled out of the toppled IFFY looking between the panicked locals and the Flame Dragon off in the distance. Unsure what to do, they all look to Yuki as she made herself through the crowd and out into the open.

Jarrus, stepping over to her side, sword materialized and unsure what to do, "Commander-Supreme?" he called wanting an order to be given.

Yuki let out a small growl then glanced to Jarrus then to the Soldiers behind her, "All units, Protect the Locals! Jarrus on me, we take the Dragon." She ordered to which Jarrus nodded in acknowledgement. Yuki then turns towards the Dragon's flying away from the dispersing crowd.

"Ma'am?" One of the Brotherhood soldiers questions; it was none other than Private Scheele.

"Go!" Yuki demands. She turns back around and heads towards the IFFY but after she points and directions the Private to leave and Jarrus to the Dragon, the two go in their respective directions. Climbing inside, she finds Mintah still on his back and clearly sees the knife handle, "You shouldn't play with knives." she calmly tells him and heads over to a closed shelving unit.

Mintah was unable to get up from his back because his gear had somehow hooked into the IFFY's interior and the Knife wasn't making it any easier due to the pain he felt when moving, it should also be noted that the Knife managed to clip itself with the soft body armor making it difficult to takenout. Seeing Yuki he reached out with a hand, "Could use a little help, Ma'am." he tells the Commander-Supreme but the way he said it sounded like more of a suggestion rather than a request.

Yuki opens the closed shelve and a large device drops down with a clear label reading "T-30" revealing to be a Guardian Shoulder Mounted Laser Cannon, it was likely put there as a support weapon before they left the FOB. Yuki cracks a grin and goes to pick it up as she does she answers Mintah, "Nah, you good." She states then leaves poor Mintah in the IFFY likely where he'll be safe for the duration of the battle with the Dragon, assuming the Dragon doesn't come back and spray the area with fire.

As Yuki leaves, Mintah manages pull out the knife however found it still difficult to move because of the pain. With no other options, he starts to take off his Protective Vest freeing himself. Once free, he looks in the other closed shelf opposite where the Guardian T-30 was stored looking for possible First-Aide but instead finds a Brotherhood Shoulder Mounted Assault Weapon with a few rocket tubes, It's Standard for Brotherhood IFFYs to carry Anti-Tank Arms in the off chance that the squad inside needs it. Mintah sighs in disappointment but nonetheless takes the SMAW and the ammo.

Back at the JSDF vehicles, They continued to draw it's attention with the mounted Minimis and an M2 Browning on the vehicles however due the Flame Dragon's thick scales, the creature was essentially a flying flame throwing tank.

By this point, Rory couldn't stand it anymore and hopped out of the Lead JSDF humvee with her Halbert at the ready however upon hoping out, she spots Jarrus charging the Dragon off in the distance. She takes him for a fool and fails to notice he is running faster than a mortal should. She redirects her attention towards the Dragon and charges it as well. The Flame Dragon sees Rory and goes after her in response and with a great leap Rory swings her Halbert, The Axe impacts the Dragon's head making it recoil aside rather than cutting it, it's scales were too tough even for a demigod.

As Rory passes by the Dragon and it vice versa, Rory glances over to Jarrus and sees him take a great leap as well which surprises her and thats when she realized he is one of those spiritual essences she had felt earlier.

The JSDF see Jarrus head towards the Dragon and they too are taken by surprise by the ability he's presenting and stop firing as a result, mainly so they don't accidentally shot him while he's up there, but also give them ample time to rethink how they would go about damaging it. With Rory out of sight, The Flame Dragon sees the green vehicles of the JSDF and continues to pursue them.

Rory falls to the ground as Jarrus draws closer and closer towards the Flame Dragon, he readies his sword for a swing and just as he lands on the Dragon's shoulder his blade ignites itself and coats itself with pure energy before Jarrus takes a swing aiming for one of the Dragon's Wings. Landing effortlessly, Rory continues to watch and see him swing, Jarrus's Sword however only brushes against the base of the Flame Dragon's wing leaving only a minor surface cut but Jarrus wasn't done and follows up with more swings but with each swing, his energy coated sword merely bounces with strike until he manages to shatter his blade. Realizing his attacks had little effect, he jumps off and allows the JSDF to continue firing their weapons.

Yuki finally catches up to the battle area and scans the area for a suitable position but as the JSDF vehicles drive in circles, The Flame Dragon notices Yuki and goes after her instead. Rory sees the Flame Dragon going after Yuki and rushes after her but when the Dragon puffs a bit of fire she knows it's already too late. Yuki merely scoffs at the Dragon before it lays down a fiery spray engulfing a 5-meter radius around Yuki.

The JSDF Vehicles stop upon seeing Yuki being engulfed in flames and as they watch, they fail to notice Jarrus hoping on one of the JSDF vehicles. Rory stops running and looks on with confusion because normally she would feel the individual's soul pass through her if they were to die in battle however she still felt an essence in the direction Yuki was and after a brief moment a laser beam shot up from the center as the Dragon passes over.

The laser beam hits the Dragon in the chest but has little effect like much of the weapons used against it. The laser beam only leaves a red spot where the laser struck showing where the concentrated energy of the laser hit. Being a Flame Dragon, it's scales are used to withstanding high temperatures.

The JSDF continued to fire at the Flame Dragon but still with no effect, "Shit, .50 Cal isn't making a dent." Itami said watch the bullets bounce right off the thick scale of the Flame Dragon.

Unbeknownst to everyone in Itami's Humvee, The young blonde Elf girl; Tuka, had finally awoken and realized what was going on, "Ono." she said making her way towards the front completely naked.

"Huh?" Itami sounded turning his head to meet the Elf girl.

"Ono!" Tuka stated sternly while also pointing to her eye, "Ono!" she continued as if she was talking to an idiot.

Itami pause to processed what she was telling him and like a light turning on, he finally got it, "Aim for the Eye!" he ordered aloud.

The JSDF in turn followed the command and fired their weapons aimed at the Flame Dragon's eye. The Flame Dragon appeared dazed and used it's wings shield it's eye.

Seeing an opportunity, Jarrus took to the on the mounted gun next to him, (Soldier, do you have a rocket launcher?) he asked with a loud voice due to the noise of the JSDF vehicle.

Surprised, the JSDF didn't respond and processed how Jarrus could have got there, (Uh...yeah.) he finally answered.

(Use it!) Jarrus barked as if ordering the Soldier.

The Soldier went into the Humvee and climbed back out with a Panzerfaust Rocket Launcher. By now the rest of the JSDF saw what he was doing and noticed Jarrus as well. They understood bullets weren't doing anything so seeing him pull out the Panzerfaust wasn't a big deal. Placing the Pamzerfaust upon his shoulder, the JSDF Soldier lined up the scope's crosshairs with the dragon but he then remembered an important thing to do when firing a rocket launcher, "Oops, better check the rear." he said to himself and promptly looked behind him.

The most of the JSDF soldiers saw this and groaned, "Just shoot the damn thing Retard!" They cursed at him. The Soldier with the Panzerfaust did just that and fired the rocket while the Dragon was suppressed with machine gun fire.

Around this time, Mintah had managed to rig himself a mini missile using the other rocket tubes of the Brotherhood SMAW. Climbing onto the IFFY, Mintah prepared himself, "Alright Dragon, you want to play, let's play." He said to himself picking up the SMAW and shouldering it, "Hear me, Dragon! I am Dovahkiin, The Slayer of Dragons! Hear my Voice, Feel my Thu'um!"He shouted as he lined up the Dragon with the crosshairs and pulled the trigger however the missile did not launch but it's thruster did activate and remained stationary, "Fus Ro Dah!" Almost promptly, the Missile launched and the sudden blast blew Mintah off from his feet, off the IFFY, and to the ground at a fraction of a second, he wasn't anticipating the sudden recoil. As a result, Mintah was thrown to the ground with a dislocated shoulder and upon landing on his side he broke a few ribs. Unbeknownst to him, a few locals witnessed this and some went to go help the Brotherhood Ranger while the rest watched a large metal spear dart towards the Flame Dragon.

The Rocket sent by the JSDF flew and struck the Dragon's Arm dealing enough damage to reveal tissue and bone but it wasn't enough to completely remove the arm as it was still held on by muscle, however due to the size of the arm the weight ripped off the Dragon' arm and fell to the ground. The Blast cause it to jerk to the side allowing Mintah's Missile to struck it as well, The explosion from Mintah's Mini Missile blew off the other arm of the Dragon. The Flame Dragon roared in pain and before long it took flight and began to flee heading south.

With the Dragon in retreat, this was a major victory considering. Nobody in the Special Region is capable to handle a massive Flame Dragon aside from powerful wizards and other means of fighting large apex creatures. To the locals that witnessed this, these JSDF, Brotherhood, and Guardians, are now seen as powerful warriors that could rival an apostle. Nevertheless, the Dragon was fought off and many of the locals were saved despite a fraction of them perished but that number would be significantly larger if the Dragon was still around. Luckly, no JSDF, Guardian, nor Brotherhood were killed in the engagement and it would seen only some of the Brotherhood Soldiers were injured.

The afternoon and evening were spent burying the bodies of the locals and as night fell flowers from a grassy plateau were blooming adding aesthetic to the passing of the locals. The surviving Villagers honoring their dead and praying for safe passage into the Special Region's afterlife and the JSDF doing the same in respect with clasped hands, heads held low, and eyes closed. A few Brotherhood Soldiers also offered their respect and knelt down on a knee, helmets off, and lowered heads, even one of them can be seen praying on both her knees.

Commander-Supreme Yuki casually walked over to the Brotherhood Soldier praying on both knees and noticed the Cross of Christ imprinted on the Soldier's Pauldron. Yuki then tilted her head to take a look at the Name Plate reading "Aryah". Yuki wasn't sure how to pronounce the Soldier's name and just winged it, "Ar-ree-yah?" she calmly said unsure if that was correct."

The Soldier on her knees chuckled in response, "It's Ar-Rai-Yah." she corrected before looking up to the Commander-Supreme.

Seeing Aryah was most likely praying, Yuki refrained from asking her to say something for the dead, "As you were, Aryah." Yuki said before padding Aryah's shoulder and leaving.

The Guardians were off over by the IFFY which was damaged by the Flame Dragon, huge claw marks were clearly seen on the corner were the Dragon scratched and knocked over the IFFY. Commander Jarrus stood by the Guardians with the few wounded Brotherhood Soldiers, Mintah being injured the most simply laid about in the IFFY.

Itami, Sergeant Major Kuwabara, The Village Chieftain gathered to talk about the villagers with no where to go. Most of the Locals have relatives nearby, Others have expenses for lodging, but there were few with no where to go. Nevertheless, those able with necessities left leaving behind the young children, the elderly, and the the few unable to carry on. There wasn't much to do aside from taking them with to Alnus Hill as refugees. Itami didn't like it, but it was necessary because he remember Yuki said they didn't have the resources to take care of refugees.

As they finished conversing with the Chieftain, Yuki approached the group, "Itami." she called. Itami turned to greet her but the sudden chock of her head said they needed to speak in private.

Itami followed Yumi a short distance out of earshot from anybody, "Let's save ourselves the trouble agree never to speak of our encounters to our superiors." Yuki told Itami with a serious expression.

Itami didn't respond right away and thought about it, "I was thinking the same thing." he said after some thought and seeing this would only complicate things and potentially lead to a conflict between the nations, "If my superiors hear about our encounter, it'll escalate to the point where my world's militaries would get involved. I'd like to avoid that." he explained as a realist would. The JSDF isn't an official army per se and wouldn't likely last very long against the Brotherhood or the Guardians, the likelihood of international intervention would only skyrocket if the world finds out about the Brotherhood/Guadian Coalition.

Seeing that logic, Yuki nodded in agreement, "Agreed, A full-scale war between our factions will only cause collateral and escalate unnecessary tensions." she said. With that, the two went to go join a huddle of JSDF, Guardian, and Brotherhood, as well as a few locals.

Lelei and Cato seemed to be interested in the Guardians more than the Brotherhood, Rory seemed to have distanced herself from the Huddle but still close enough to speak. Captain Jurai and his Second seeming answering the questions the magic attuned individuals had. Amongst the JSDF personal were Ilya, Kurata, and Kuribayashi.

As Itami and Yuki approached the huddle, Rory went out of her way to approach the Commander-Supreme, (We have never properly met.) Yuki greets Rory, (I am Yuki, I am the leader of my...men.) she says trying to speak and find the correct words to say without sounding like an idiot.

Rory however looks uneasy and doesn't respond but merely stares at Yuki. For someone who was supposed to be dead, this was a big deal for Rory considering she is basically a reaper or at least a vessel for souls passing on to the Afterlife.

"Hey, Yuki." Itami calls interjecting between Rory and Yuki, "Just what are you guys exactly?" Curious after seeing what she and Jarrus could do while fighting the dragon. In between getting engulfed in flames and materializing swords, it was clear to Itami they weren't exactly Human.

Seeing where he was going with this, Yuki turned to Itami with a blank expression, "I am what I need to be." she vaguely answers hiding what exactly she is.

By this time, Kurata comes over to Rory's side who still remains quiet but closely oberseves Yuki and her compatriots, "So your friend there, I saw him materialize a sword." Kurata states referring to Jarrus and mentions a particular Anime he has seen. He is familiar with the concept but he is more or less confused by what he has seen physically, "Is that his Zanpakuto?" he continues.

Confused Yuki frowns, "Zanpak-what?" She questions. Looking at Kurata like he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Kurata in turn doesn't know how to properly respond but goes on what he knows based on the Anime, "Oh y'know...uh...a spirit sword." he casually says trying not to sound nervous given that Yuki has a mean bark.

Finally getting to where Kurata was going, Yuki rolls her eyes in response, "To the ridiculous, It's just a sword that's been embedded into our souls-..." she stops dead in her tracks before she revealed too much. She covers her mouth and looks in the other direction to which Itami immediately notices and takes a mental note. Yuki clears her throat before changing the subject, "Why are we even talking about this?!" she snarled.

Rory has been listening in on the conversation and is able to speak up but is cut off by a different voice, (Commander-Supreme.) It says as Mundy approaches Yuki and the group. Once Yuki turns to look at him, he cocks his head gesturing that they need to leave to which Yuki nods in agreement.

"I guess we better go." She says to the group the turns to Itami as if to say something important, "I doubt this will be the last time we see each other." She tells the Second-Lieutenant then follows after Mundy.

As he walk away, Mundy slows his pace until Yuki catches up, (Commander-Supreme, Do you think we'll end up fighting the JSDF?) He calmly and quietly asks with concern.

Hearing the concern in his voice, Yuki is unsure herself, (Hopefully not.) she replies with uncertainty.

Just as the Guardians and Brotherhood prepare to leave, a few of them turn back and wave their goodbyes to which the remaining Locals and the JSDF wave back as well, although the next time they meet may be on a battlefield.

As the Brotherhood and Guardians left with the damaged IFFY, Itami being the optimist, clapped his hands together and turned around to face the group gathered behind him, "Ok everybody, Don't you worry, Everything's going to be fine." He told them, "Just leave everything to us!" he said and proceeded to gesture peace with two fingers held up.

 **The more you know:**

 **Brotherhood Standard Munitions: Thready Needles - Thready Needles is often a term used by Brotherhood Machine Gun operators, it is the equivalent term to "Suppressive Fire".**

 **Brotherhood SMAW - The Brotherhood SMAW is considered a very versatile weapon within the Brotherhood arsenal by many, even to the Brotherhood's Enemies. The Majority of it's rocket tubes are interchangeable and can be modified to almost any combat situation.**

 **Guardian T-30 Shoulder Mounted Laser - The Guardian T-30 is a high intensity energy directed weapon and one of the first weapons developed in the Guardian Arsenal. The T-30 is generally a multipurpose weapon rather than an Anti-Tank weapon but is still an effective weapon nonetheless.**

 **Lastly, I just want to say that this Chapter was originally going to be super long but I cut that in half basically.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Some Context:

* * *

 **The Brotherhood FOB**

At the crack of dawn, A lone Brotherhood IFFY followed in behind a group of both Guardians and Brotherhood troops and slowly made their way towards the Brotherhood FOB. At 650 Meters away, they were already spotted by the FOB Sentries positioned along the perimeter walls, on top of that Yuki had communicated they would be arriving in the direction they were coming from as they wouldn't be mistaken for enemies in disguise.

As they drew closer and closer to the FOB, the Soldiers and Troopers noticed them but what caught their attentions was the way how they came; Defeated and dragging their feet. The sight of seeing the IFFY damaged with giant claw marks made everyone wonder what kind of giant creature would cause such damage.

Up top in one of the watch towers, Brotherhood Marksmen took to his binoculars and saw those around the IFFY looking very exhausted, "What, the, hell?" he muttered to himself noticing the claws marks had ripped into the chassis of the IFFY.

Upon arrival at the front gates of the FOB, A large crowd greeted the Soldiers and Troopers just coming in and even offered to help them. Due to the claw damage, the hydraulics were shot and the back hatch stayed open and when the IFFY came to a stop it was a matter of climbing out.

Commander-Supreme Yuki climbed out and around to the front of the IFFY and was immediately greeted by Commander Hanai, "Commander-Supreme, what the hell happened?" He questioned. it was plainly obvious they had been through hell and back.

Unapologetically, Yuki just continued to walk, "We got attacked by a Flame Dragon." she casually said as if it was a daily occurrence but really she was just annoyed and tired.

"A dragon did this to you?!" Hanai exclaimed stopping in his tracks whilst also turning back to the damaged IFFY. With a sigh he brushed the back of his head, "We're gonna need some bigger guns."

Yuki perked up upon seeing a couple of Brotherhood Medics, "We have wounded!" she shouted and when they looked she simple pointed back to the IFFY. At first they didn't get it and looked to each other confused but when they looked to the IFFY and had seen Mintah being helped they quickly jumped into action.

Mintah, having being carried on a pair of shoulders laying on his good side recognized a familiar face coming to see what the fuss was about, "Fruya." he called with wave.

The Guardian, waved back and approached him and kept pace with the carrier. "Mintah, You look like shit." Fruya said with a chuckled.

"Yup." Mintah acknowledged with a chuckle back, "Shot with .308s, stabbed, a dislocated shoulder, and a few broken ribs. Reminds me of Ranger Training." he added and allowed his carrier to drop him into a stretcher by the Brotherhood Medics.

Yuki was about half way to the command center when Hanai caught up to her, "Ma'am, We got a problem." he told her as he remembered an important thing that happened while they were out.

Stopping, Yuki sighed and looked to Hanai and awaited for him to speak but she noticed something else behind the Commander. Off in the distance perched up on a catwalk over looking the training stood a Guardian Officer dressed in an overcoat with a general's hat, that was the Guardian Chancellor. Yuki rose an eyebrow and shifted her eyes to Hanai unamused, "The Guardian Chancellor taking over?" she calmly asked. Hanai however shook his head in response.

Shortly afterwards, Hanai took Yuki over to one of the FOB's storage buildings where in which had a small room emptied for a specific purpose. Stopping just outside the door of the small room with a couple of armed Brotherhood guards, Hanai unlocked the door and opened it allowing Yuki to have a peek inside. Scattered throughout the room were over a dozen JSDF personal stripped of their gear and just in their BDUs.

Yuki immediately recognized the uniforms and reacted accordingly by shutting the door and gave Hanai a surprised look, "What the hell's this?!" She said with a loud whisper. The Guards both took a step away from Hanai and Yuki. Just as Hanai was about to answer, Yuki put up her hand to stop him, "Never mind, just let me talk with them." She told the Commander and entered the room.

Walking in, she presented herself with an authoritative stance; strong and firm. One of the guards had entered to room keeping close to the door while the other maintained watch, Hanai also came into the room keeping to Yuki's side. The JSDF members cautiously gazed upon Yuki, Hanai, and the armed guard as if waiting for a moment to strike until Yuki spoke, (Hello. I'm the Officer in charge of the FOB and the Commanding Officer of the Coalition.) She said in Japanese to the " _prisoners_ " standing about.

All the JSDF personal looked shocked and surprised to hear that a supposed foreigner spoke fluent Japanese. Unsure what to do they all looked amongst each other like their original plan wasn't going to work.

Yuki cleared her throat to caught the attentions of the JSDF personal, (Which one of you is the leader?) she kindly asked easing her stance to something more relaxed.

A brief pause fell amongst the JSDF personal before one of them rose a hand, (I am.) he answered. However his current rank was no higher than a Corporal and it looked as if he took one for the team, or so it seemed.

Yuki briefly scanned the Corporal from head to toe before speaking again, (I'd like to talk with you.) she told him.

The JSDF Corporal acknowledged with a nod, (Same here.) he said. He looked back to his platoon and gave them a wink suggesting everything was going to be fine.

With that, the Commander-Supreme ordered Hanai to take the JSDF personal and follow in behind her as they left the room leaving behind a very bewildered Platoon of JSDF soldiers.

 **Brotherhood FOB's Command Center**

After Yuki finished interrogating the JSDF Corporal a couple of hours later, she finally returned to the Command Center exhausted more than ever. Coming in and immediately seating herself at her desk, she let out a sigh of relief, "Now that was an ordeal." she told herself referring to the JSDF interrogation earlier. Pulling a several report sheets, Yuki began to write what had transpired as of late but also disregarding her encounter with the JSDF.

By this time, The Comms Personal had activated Yuki's desk terminal via her own and contacted her with a little screen of herself, even though the Comms Personal could've have just walked over but she did so as a courtesy, "Ma'am. You got a call." the Comms Personal told Yuki.

Taking her eyes off the report sheets for a moment, Yuki glanced over to her terminal's screen, "Ugh, put it in hold." she replied as if she couldn't deal with anything more than what she had already been through.

The Comms Personal simply shook her head, "They were already on hold." she stated.

Hearing this had Yuki curious as to who it could be, "Who is it?" Commander-Supreme questioned. She wondered who would be so determined to wait just to speak with her.

"It's Eisenreich." The Comms Personal told Yuki.

Yuki didn't say anything but did give the Comms Personal a nod. Shortly afterwards the Comms Personal closed her window ending her communication but also allow another window to open but this time it had the banner of Eisenreich. The banner itself looked like a sideways version of a monochrome Norwegian Flag. It takes a moment for the calls to be connected then the Eisenreich window opened to an older man dressed as a 1940's high-ranking Schutzstaffel Officer in Black.

Yuki immediately recognized the Officer, "Ah~, Kaiser Ubel Von Bergfuchs." She greeted as friendly as she could, in truth she knew why one of Eisenreich's Kaisers would contact her specifically, "What does his Excellency want with with Brotherhood?" she questioned even though she knew where it was going to go.

The Kaiser nodded in acknowledgment and respect for the Command-Supreme, "Firstly, It's an honor to finally meet you Commander-Supreme, Your actions at the Battle of Fjorn are unmistakably honorable." He said in admiration, sugarcoating his first impression.

Yuki rolled her eyes at the mention of the Fjorn Jungles and saw right through his ruse, "Skip the formalities Herr Kaiser, What do you want?" She blasted disregarding the praise she received from the Kaiser.

The Kaiser looked stunned at how Yuki was being so blunt and abrupt, "Ah, straight to the point." He timidly responded before clearly his throat and being straight with the Commander-Supreme from here on out, "His Excellency simply requests an Eisenreich presence in that world, to better our relationship between our factions, that goes without saying." Kaiser Bergfuchs explained.

"Denied." Yuki said without a moment's thought, "Your request is denied."

The Kaiser was shocked. Never before that a Brotherhood Officer would outright deny Eisenreich's willingness to aid the Brotherhood in any way, this was something new to Eisenreich, "Denied? I don't understand, Do you realize how long it took me to get in contact with you? Never mind being on hold?!" Kaiser Bergfuchs vented his frustrations that was now beginning to surface. He had been trying to speak with the officer-in-charge for quite some time since the Eisenreich's paperwork was denied.

Before more words were exchanged, a third window popped up and opened. It was throne room of what appeared to be a King sitting on his throne. The King wore a Black Royal's Oufit with Gold trims and detailing as well as a grand looking crown.

The Kaiser was once more surprised, "Mein Führer?!" He exclaimed and lowered his head with a closed fist over his heart similar to a bow.

Yuki did the same as well but out of respect, "Mein Führer. Your Excellency." she greeted before returning to her regular stance.

The King or rather the Führer, frowned in responses to Yuki's formal greeting, "I am not your Führer." He corrected the Commander-Supreme, "However, your Excellency is adequately appropriate."

The Kaiser returned his stance to a normal posture after hearing the Führer clear his throat, "I was just explaining to Commander-Supreme that you would like a presence in the Other World." Kaiser Bergfuchs explained to the Führer but he already knew that, "However she denied the request." he continued.

Yuki again rolled her eyes, "There are multiple complicated matters that need to be resolved." she told both leaders while also keeping thing confidential.

The Kaiser scoffed as if it was an excuse, "We can help solve your problems." he offered.

Yuki scoffed in turn as well, "You'll make things worse." she countered.

"You can't serious?!"

"I am serious."

The Kaiser was now getting fed up at this point, "Why were you appointed Commander-Supreme? You sound like my wife." He bickered adding fuel to the fire that was already unstable.

"Oh, Don't start with me Herr Kaiser!" Yuki fired back with a fierce tone and expression. Her sharp cold gaze glared at Kaiser Bergfuchs for his tactless comment, "You don't understand what kind of a position I am in!" she barked.

Everything fell quiet and everyone in the Command Center had their attentions directed at Yuki and noticed she was communicating before turning back to their jobs, only a little more quiet than before. The Kaiser shut down at Yuki's bark and the Eisenreich Führer simply abided his time in the awkward silence.

Bergfuchs took a deep breath and eased himself, "Let's take it back, restart." he calmly said and gave a reassuring smile to Yuki.

Yuki didn't change her expression, "You're quite persistent." she coldly stated still glaring at the Kaiser.

The Kaiser shook his head in response and brushed the back of his head, "Personally, I question the Brotherhood Council of Generals pick for Commander-Sup-..." his window closed cutting him off mid-sentence and ending his communication. The Führer was seen holding a button on his arm rest indicting he ended the Kaiser's call.

"Excuse the Kaiser for his rather absurd and inappropriate behavior as of late, he's been quite stressed attempting to get in contact with the Commander-Supreme." The Führer explain regarding the frustrations of Kaiser Bergfuchs and apply the closest thing to an apology, "I'm sure you understand."

Yuki sighed in relief, "Quite, Your Excellency." she replied acknowledging the frustrations the Kaiser had. With Kaiser Bergfuchs out of the picture, Yuki was beginning to cool down.

"Let us be real here, Why are you continuing to persist on denying an Eisenreich presence in the world you are currently in?" The Führer questioned with a calm voice after seeing the rather heated argument between Yuki and one of his many Kaisers.

Yuki didn't say anything and remained quiet. For sake of the Brotherhood, she didn't want to reveal too much that'll eventually come to bite her in the ass later on.

The Führer found Yuki's silence unhelpful, he continued to push the subject, "Eisenreich has been a long supported Ally of the Brotherhood since it's inception at the start of the First Great War." he said reminding Yuki of Eisenreich's long standing alliance with the Brotherhood.

Upon hearing this Yuki perked up, "With all due respect Your Excellency, I do not doubt your judgement, I doubt the judgement of your soldiers." She admitted. Given the circumstances between the JSDF, Guardians, the War with the Empire, things were difficult to say the least.

The Führer slowly nodded in understanding, carefully listening to the words Yuki had used and as if picking apart to decipher what she meant by it, "I see. What are some of the Complications you are facing?" he kindly asked and if Yuki didn't answer so be it.

Yuki paused to think about it then sighed after a few moments, "There's two GATEs in this world, Your Excellency. We; The Brotherhood, control one of the GATEs however the second GATE is controlled by the Nation of Japan from the Living Realm." She explained to the Führer. Whether or not it was the right call remains to be seen, "To further add to this complication, Both our forces haven't come across each other as of late and I'd like to avoid having our first encounter turned into a battlefield." She continued but purposely left out her encounter with the JSDF.

"I see." The Führer responded thoughtful, "This is a very serious matter then." he acknowledged the troubles Commander-Supreme has.

"Bringing in more forces from the Spiritual Realm could be seen as an Act of Aggression. We have more than enough Military Power to decimate the populous." Yuki expressed her concern as well as a matter of fact, "I could literally wipe out half this world's population if I so please, just like that." With a quick movement, she rose a hand and snapped her fingers to show that all it would take is an order and that it will be done.

The Führer fell quiet after Yuki's response, he knew of Burning Snow already and how Yuki was being professional for the duration of this call but the longer this call got, the more of Burning Snow came out. The conversation just became awkward given Yuki's extremism, "Very well, We would help supply you with the means to decimate the populous if you so please." he reluctantly said with little enthusiasm.

Yuki narrowed her eyes at the Führer almost hearing something else entirely, "Are you sure you want to go down this road, Your Excellency?" She coldly but softly said.

The Führer nodded acknowledging he would very much like to go down that road, "Whatever you want, we will supply it without question, but..." he said but trailed off as if to add something more.

Seeing this coming a mile away, Yuki spoke first, "...but you want a presence in this world." she said. Considering Eisenreich's aim was clear, it would make sense to supply the base under the ruse that the materials used would for the Eisenreich presence.

The Führer smirked confidently after Yuki managed to figure out the obvious. Of course, he was going to be modest with how big the Eisenreich presence was, "Not a large military force, oh no. I do believe a Battalion would suffice. Not just any Battalion, one of our best." Explaining she shouldn't have to worry about the amount of foreign soldiers present, though the amount would be the same as the Guardian presence but the Führer wouldn't know that.

Yuki rose a hand to her chin to think about it, to ponder on the thought. Quickly weighting the benefits and the consequences that would come with having the Eisenreich presence as well as having them absent. The Brotherhood has priorities regarding materials for war and construction and that would pass through a lot hands before it finally reached their destination. Yuki could use this to her advantage should she accept the Eisenreich Führer's offer.

 **JSDF Encampment, Alnus Hill**

In the few days that have passed, The JSDF managed to build themselves a fortress around the GATE. The Fortress was in the shape of a 6-point star, commonly known as the "Star of David", and had two walls protecting the JSDF consisting of an Outer Wall and an Inner Wall much like a castle would.

Upon arrival, Itami reported in at the Command Building to the Major in charge. Once in front of the Major's desk he promptly reported the detail of his recon and carefully left out his encounter with this Brotherhood, however the Major's concern wasn't Itami's encounters but the supposed refugees he brought back.

"You..." The Major trailed fuming at Itami's incompetence, "...Who told you it was okay for you to bring them back here?!" he questioned as if demanding to know.

"Huh?" Itami sounded taken back a little, "It is that bad I brought them along, Major?" he responded with a question, his choice of words made made the JSDF morals questionable.

The Major sighed and dropped his head in defeat, "I'll report it." he muttered.

Within the same building, next floor up, General Hazama was briefed with the reports of the Recon Teams by Lieutenant Yanagita, "Sir, All but 1 Recon Team has reported in." he announced holding the reports before placing it on the desk of the General.

General Hazama was stoic at the news, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised if one of our Recon Teams is still in the field, What did the rest find?" he calmly asked, pleased with the work of the JSDF Recon Teams. Of course, Third Recon had to falsify their report regarding the Brotherhood however the ruse could only go on for so long.

Lieutenant Yanagida continued with the briefing, "Well, there's a considerable language barrier and despite that, first contact was relatively peaceful." He said, "Most of the villages we encountered are mainly human. Their industries are mainly agriculture and forestry, details of what they produce and their economy are in the report."

General Hazama remained quiet to take in and process the information but also allowing the Lieutenant to continue.

"Each of the settlement have something like a Chief in place, we still don't know if there is a larger political process at work." the Lieutenant continued, "We've yet to meet any set of formal representatives."

"We need to find out how these Village Chiefs are elected." General Hazama interjected taking the conversation back a little ways.

Lieutenant Yanagida nodded in agreement, "I believe it would be a good idea to invite some of the locals." he suggested.

Hazama leaned back in his chair already seeing the complications with doing just that, "This could problematic, it could look as if we've kidnapped then prompt retaliation from neighboring tribes." he added.

Again, Yanagida nodded in agreement but also he was fully aware of what the Third Recon did, "Perhaps General, However the Third Recon has brought some "Refugees" they saved from a local village from a recent attack." he stated as if it were in defense of, Lieutenant Yanagita was tactful if anything.

"Refugees you say?" General Hazama questioned with curiosity before grinning, "Oh, how convenient."

Back to Itami and the Major, The Major was just informed what the general plan was and even though he didn't like it, they were still orders however he did have to pass on information regarding the Refugees.

Still peeved from earlier, The Major struggled to keep composed, "Seeing how you're such a humanitarian, the refugees will be in your custody. You'll be responsible for handling their needs." he sternly said to Itami.

Confused, Itami opened his mouth to speak, "Wait, I'm supposed to take care of them?" he questioned. Itami was hoping for a little leg room after all he worked through but clearly he had his work cut out for him.

The Major just about had enough of Itami's incompetence, "I don't know, Dummy, Since you brought them here, YOU FIGURE IT OUT!" He shouted.

Shortly after leaving the office, Itami went to his squad waiting outside. Looking as defeated as he did after the fight with the Flame Dragon, Itami couldn't just get a break or even just 5 minutes to breath.

"Kuribayashi, Kurokawa, We need some rations from the Quartermaster." Itami told the girls as they headed towards the exit, "Furata, Tomita, see if you can go find some tents." he told the two others, "In the meantime I guess I'll get started on the paperwork." he finished with a stressful sigh.

 **Evening Twilight, Brotherhood FOB, Makeshift Cell (Storage Room)**

Members of the JSDF Fifth Recon were being held prisoner by an unknown military force; A fully operational coalition army. They managed to take a wrong turn investigating southeast of Alnus, they stumbled into the Brotherhood-Controlled region and got ambushed by a patrolling Guardian Platoon but before they could respond and react, the Guardians disabled their vehicles and weapons. Luckily no one was killed but there were a few that got injured as they were apprehended.

The dozen or so JSDF soldiers was scattered about the room, quietly waiting, questioning themselves if they'll ever get out alive. They were basically in the heart of a potential enemy's base, nobody had the mind to break out and attempt to fight an army. They were just a Self-Defense Force not an Official Army, They weren't trained to go to war but rather Self-Defense and despite this, they were still capable soldiers.

A pair of JSDF soldiers sat in the corner quietly whispering to each other, "Just who the hell are these guys?" one of them asked, clearly questioning where this new Coalition came from.

The other JSDF Soldier appeared panicked, "Have you seen their weapons and armor?" He ignored his compatriot and reminded him of the gear both the Brotherhood and Guardians had, "How do you spell screwed? F-U-C-K-E-D." he remarked, half jokingly and half serious. For the JSDF, It'll be like having a conventional war against the United States on North America; the engagements wouldn't last very long.

The Staff Sergeant in charge of of Fifth Recon approached the corporal who announced he was the leader to the Brotherhood Officer, "Corporal, what did you talk about?" he directly asked. Taking one for the team is a huge risk and thankfully they didn't bother to check rank and because of this, JSDF probably think the Brotherhood rank their soldiers differently and could possibly use that to their advantage.

The Corporal didn't faze upon hearing the question, "Stuff. Nothing you wouldn't say." he replied as if dodging the question entirely.

"Son, be real. We're all family, you can tell us." The Staff Sergeant reassured the Corporal and placed a hand on his shoulder.

The Corporal remained silent and just stared into the Staff Sergeant's eyes with blank expression, Clearly he knew something.

By this time, all of the JSDF soldiers in the room had their eyes on the pair, listening in on their conversation. A pair of JSDF Soldiers also walked up to the Corporal for reassurance as well, "Yeah, we've been together for quite some time now, there are no secrets among us." One of them told the Corporal to which the Staff Sergeant nodded in agreement.

"I trust you guys." The Corporal finally spoke and looked amongst his comrades, "I just don't know if I can trust you well enough." he continued, now it was abundantly clear he knew something, especially after he did earlier.

Like everyone else, The Staff Sergeant picked up on what the Corporal said, "You know something, something about these guys." he said confirming what they were all thinking.

Again the Corporal remained silent but his time he diverted his attention to the door behind them leading into the room. He didn't need say anything to confirm or deny what he knew, his silence was more than a sufficient answer.

After a brief moment he turned back to the trio before him, "What I am about to share with you, cannot, I say CANNOT leave this room." The Corporal said. He held a serious expression darted towards the Staff Sergeant who patiently waited for the Corporal to Continue, "This will cause complications not only for me but for the JSDF as a whole. Will the truth turn you into my enemy?" He stated and finished with a question. This was bigger than the JSDF realized that could wind up undo everything the JSDF set up not only in this world but also on Earth.

The Staff Sergeant was unfazed by the statements the Corporal made and continued to stare back, "Is it that bad?" he questioned raising an eyebrow finally removing his hand off the shoulder and folding his arms.

The Corporal didn't speak nor did he blink but he responded by holding out his hand and cuffing it as if he held something, after a moment light particles gathered and began to materialize an object. Taking the shape of a badge, the light object combusted revealing said object; It was the symbol of the Spades, the very symbol imprinted throughout the Base.

The realization hit the Sergeant like a brick and he immediately changed his stance from ease to caution, "Oh." he muttered looking at the badge with a stunned expression.

The Corporal was in fact a Member of the Brotherhood, a spook if you will, however prior to his deployment with the JSDF he had no knowledge of the current Brotherhood Presence. He also more than likely have talked with Commander-Supreme Yuki regarding this.

For the Sergeant, this was extremely concerning, not only had the JSDF run into an unknown army but also this unknown army has placed undercover troops within their ranks and for a long time it seems considering he knew the Corporal for a while. Many questions began to rush his mind, especially those regarding the Brotherhood.

One of the two JSDF soldiers standing next to the Sergeant sighed prompting those to turn to him, "Since we're on the topic..." he said become raising a hand showing the face of the hand towards both the Sergeant and Corporal, a silhouette began to form. It later revealed a branding similar to a tattoo; it was a symbol of skull with a dagger strike though the eye socket, The symbol of the Assassins.

The Staff Sergeant looked taken back by the revelation, he looked between the symbol and the JSDF Soldier. Another spook but this time belonging to a different faction, the Staff Sergeant couldn't make heads or tails of it let alone keep up with the questions.

The other JSDF Soldier with the Staff Sergeant, Assassin, and Brotherhood Ghost, also revealed himself to be another Assassin. There were three from the Spiritual Realm in a platoon full of regular humans, chances like those tend to be very low especially if they knew each other.

Both Assassins looked to each other then turned to the Ghost, unsure what to do next; Attack, Wait, Leave using their Abilities? If the Brotherhood found out if there are Assassins in the base there was no telling of the repercussions that would follow, but if the Guardians were here too then the Brotherhood would've expected this much.

There was nothing but Silence in the room, The Brotherhood Ghost stood defensively waiting for both Assassins to act while the Staff Sergeant collected himself before speaking up, "Nobody says a word about this, not a single thing. Not to my Boss, Not to your Boss or Bosses." He ordered, the order itself included the trio of spiritual denizens. The Sergeant looked back between the Assassins and Ghost, "You three have some explaining to do." he said as if it was a demand to know. He knew this had the potential to cause significant damage to Japan if they found out an unknown faction they never met had infiltrated their ranks, more so if they had infiltrated long before the arrival of the GATE.

Whether or not he was going to be told the truth was entirely up to the Assassins and the Ghost in the room, The rest was simply there to listen, deny or believe them. The Assassin pair and Ghost Corporal turned to each other once more, were they going to tell the truth? If so, how much of the truth would they tell? Nevertheless, they remained quiet and turned back to the Staff Sergeant, wait for the other to speak and answer what every questions he had.

 **Nightfall, JSDF Encampment, Alnus Hill**

Over by the Supply Depot and Armory, The Quartermaster there was preparing to turn in for the night and lock everything down. On the Quartermaster's name tab read " _ **Rika Suu**_ ", identifiable by her black bob-cut hair style and a stoic or impatient expression. At the Counter, she knelt down to reach of something on the ground and when she got back up, 2nd Lieutenant Itami was there on the other side waiting for the Quartermaster.

"Oh, it's you." The Quartermaster greeted unamused recognizing Itami, "Listen I already gave you the rations you need for the " _refugees_ ". You better have a very good reason for being here." she told him as she folded her arms.

Itami responded back with a smile, "It's nice to see you too, Rika. I got something to show you." she told him casually, he needed to move the conversation along. Normally, he wouldn't bother with trivial things unless ordered to do so, however there was a pressing matter he needed to take care of and The Quartermaster was the inly person who could deal with whatever he had.

Already knowing what Itami was like, Rika brushed him off, "No, I'm not looking at your Anime Collection. I'm very busy." she told him in response and turned around to finish locking up the depot.

Confused Itami froze, "What? No. That's not what I was going to show you." he finally said.

Anymore later, then Rika would have closed the shutters on poor Itami's hands but stopped herself to hear what he had to say, "Then what?" she questioned already impatient.

Coming into the Supple Depot holding a bundle wrapped in canvas, Itami placed it on a clear enough table and unwrapped it. Once done, the bundle turned out to be weapons, but not just any weapons but Brotherhood Weapons.

How he manage to get a hold of these was when the Flame Dragon had attack the Brotherhood FATTY and tore it apart, after the engagement he went to check the wreckage and realize the Soldiers had forgot their weapons in the vehicle when they bailed, this provided an opportunity to send the weapons for analysis however there were complications that needed to be addressed. He needed to analyze these subtly without revealing their encounter with the Brotherhood or at least study them in the off chance they engage the Brotherhood again and hopefully counter their weaponry.

Rika eyed the weapons like a kid in a candy store. Clearly all she wanted to do was to rub her fingers along the metal to get a feel for the surface, so she reached out and picked up the Brotherhood Bullpup Assault Rifle. Not realizing how heavy it was, she nearly dropped it. After she recovered from stumbling, she began to look it over.

Itami curiously watched as Rika inspected the Rifle, "What do you think?" Itami asked wondering how the rifle felt in the arms of an expert.

Rika glanced over to Itami then back to the Rifle, "First of all; They're heavy. Secondly, it's a bullpup so the rifle was made specifically for right handed individuals." She explained right away with the dead giveaway flaws. The Rifle weighed just as much as a "Light" Machine Gun, particularly the M249 SAW. Rika continued to look over the detailing, "Thirdly..." she said with a pause. She froze upon seeing a symbol; A Spades imprinted on the receiver.

"Thirdly?" Itami repeated in confusion.

Rika lowered the Rifle whilst still looking at the Symbol, "Where did you say you found these again?" she asked. Eventually she was going to ask where Itami got the weapons but after seeing the Spades, she had more questions than she originally had.

Not wanting to tell Rika about his engagement with the Brotherhood, Itami needed a cover, "Long story." he simply replied with a nervous look rubbing the back of his head, a rather dead giveaway for hiding something but also there was some truth to it.

"You don't say." Rika nodded agreeing there would be a story behind it. Rika placed the weapon with the others in the bundle and wrapped it up, "Who else knows about these?" she questioned with a serious tone.

"Only you and me." Itami replied, while a few members of Third Recon had seen Itami put the wrapped weapons in the JSDF Vehicles, he didn't reveal they were Brotherhood Weapons, "Can you keep this off-the-record?" Itami kindly asked. He could only imagine what kind of repercussions that would follow if the JSDF found out they weren't the only ones in the Special Region.

Rika sighed as it would be difficult to do so, "I'll try, but what do you want me to do with them?" she countered with a question and glared at Itami.

"Study them, analyze the materials, etc." Itami answered.

Rika froze and thought about it. After coming up with a few ideas, she nodded to herself, "I have a few connections I could call up, but what's in it for me?" she said then once more countered with a question.

Itami fell quiet in response, he was hoping it wouldn't come to this. He had a lot of his plate already so to add more stuff, Itami couldn't just catch a break.

Rika however didn't allow Itami to find an answer, she placed a hand upon his shoulder with a smile, a smile hiding monster that is, "I could use a "Volunteer" to help me with the new equipment coming in, I'm so glad you decided to offer your help." she told him still holding that smile.

At least it wasn't paperwork, Itami felt somewhat relieved, "R-right." he acknowledged with a sweat drop already dreading the amount of work Rika would put on him.

Later on when everything died down for the night, Rika the Quartermaster headed in for the night but not without sneaking the Brotherhood Weapons as she went into her room. Placing the wrapped bundle on the floor, unwrapped it, went to her desk, sat down, and pulled out a journal from the drawers although this journal was hidden before she pulled it out. The Journal didn't belong to the JSDF, the cover had a symbol of skull with a dagger strike though the eye socket, The symbol of the Assassins.

Rika had opened the Journal to a blank page and froze, tapping the back end of the pen on the page, she stared at the page thinking about what to write and how to start the entry. Moments later she began to write.

" _When I joined the JSDF, not once did I think I would be sent to another world. I wanted a new life, to escape my past and move on however Father always told me, " **You can run but you'll only run in circles.** " which turns out to be truer than I'd like_." She wrote down and once more froze as to what to write next before continuing, " _Today, 2nd Lieutenant Itami brought me weapons which wasn't surprising but he didn't fully realize what exactly he brought me, One of the weapons has a symbol on it; a spades. He gave me a Brotherhood E-TAR. When the GATE opened in Ginza, I had an inkling the Spiritual Realm would want to poke their noses inside, and I can safely assume the Three Factions have sent spooks disguised as JSDF Soldiers. So to see a rifle straight from the Brotherhood Military concerns me, this is too sudden, I was certain the Japanese was here first. WTF?_ "

Rika stopped writing for a bit and turned her attention to the one of the Rifles on the floor, she couldn't help but grin and proceeded to inspect the rifle. She spent about an hour and a half inspecting every tiny nook and cranny, feeling the rifle's grip caressing it rather intimately, carefully field stripping the weapon down to the tiniest part memorizing the gun. She laid out the all the parts about on her bed's blanket then turned her attention to the journal.

" _Even though I distanced myself from my old life, The Brotherhood continue to amaze me. I spent some time inspecting the rifle and I must say I am thoroughly impressed. Bullets share the same dimensions of a 7.62x51mm NATO basically a .308 but instead shoots a spike, likely to neglect any armor. The bullet housing is most interesting, the casing is an empty cavity and yet when I hold out, there's Spiritual Energy to the touch. I knew Spiritual Energy can be volatile and to see it a gun impresses me, the rifle's Firing Pin has been replaced with some sort of igniter that when the trigger is pull causes a mini explosion within the bullet housing which sends the SABOT out, behaving much like an Earth Gun_."

Rika stopped writing then went to put the rifle back together, again she slowly worked but she struggled to remember which bolts go where but eventually figured it out.

" _Now that I'm done with the rifle and learn a lot from it, I cannot share anything that would expose my identity. I'll have to tell Itami what I think of the Rifle, physically of course. If the Brotherhood is here then it's only a matter of time before they reveal themselves. If I've taken anything from my encounters with the Brotherhood in Winnipeg, The JSDF won't stand a chance and will not get the chances I had to walk away. When that time comes, I will advocate for peace.._."

With that, Rika closed the journal and quietly sat in her chair. She turned to her name tab reading "Rika Suu" then to her journal, There at the top corner read a name, a constant reminder of her old life; Aurora Raikes.

* * *

 **The more you know:**

 **Aurora Raikes - The last living member of the Assassin House of Raikes and last of the Raikes bloodline. Unlike her Family, who once were devoted to the Assassin Cause to the extreme, Aurora is more pragmatic and sensible. She views the Assassin Cause less than ideal to the point of disillusion, she is in fact a Realist even for an Assassin Pure Form. Stationed in Winnipeg like her family, She operated and engaged both the Guardians and Brotherhood stationed there as well. Overtime, she saw her Father's Ambitions grow and the Brotherhood increasing their activity so shortly before the Tower Incident, she went AWOL and disappeared. Away from the Politics of the Spiritual Realm, she eventually started a new life as a Japanese Citizen.**

 **Eisenreich Fuhrer - The Eisenreich Fuhrer is essentially the Head of State Ruler of Eisenreich much like the Brotherhood Lord. The Fuhrer is responsible for the well being of the Reich and the relationships with the outside world, The Fuhrer's Court help decide on political matters when dealing with other factions as well as dealing with the Eisenreich Kaisers. The Fuhrer is selected by succession, The Current Fuhrer selects top 3 candidates whom are all Kaisers and when the Current Fuhrer dies, the Kaiser steps in as the next Fuhrer.**

 **Eisenreich Kaiser - The Kaisers of Eisenreich are essentially the true leaders of Eisenreich, tasked with maintaining order and stability within the Reich. Each Kaiser is in charge of a region within Eisenreich and is solely responsible for that region. Kaisers are the equivalent to Senators however still retains a monarch structure, only through a line of succession can a Kaiser be chosen. Like the Fuhrer, the Kaiser has a court to help decide the internal politics of their region, Kaisers also attend an Assembly with the Fuhrer to evaluate the Reich and decide upon** what needs to change for the betterment of the Reich.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

 **Random Township, Local Tavern**

Traveling to Alnus Hill on horseback took around 4-5 days from the Imperial Capital. The main road provided a moderate amount of stops for rest and overnight stays. Princess Pina and her cohorts traveled to Alnus with haste, along the way they heard more tales about the White Knights of Gardeeyan but also other tales as of late. Increased bandit activity surrounding Alnus, residents of Coda Village leaving their homes, strange Men in Green with metal carriages roaming around; to name a few, however those weren't the latest development.

The Bar Maid, a recent refugee from Coda Village, recounted her tale to the patrons. Explaining in detail what she had seen with her own eyes. Leaving Coda Village, the Noble White Knights, and the encounter with the Flame Dragon.

"A Flame Dragon?!" Exclaimed one patron nearly after chocking on his drink.

Taken at face value, the maid's tale was indeed a tall one, even for the standards of the Special Region. Given the circumstances of recent events, the tavern patrons found some semblance of truth with her tale.

"Surely you must be joking!" Another patron spoke up with disbelief.

"Impossible!" A third patron refuted.

The first patron that choked earlier spoke up to question the tale, "Are you sure it was a Flame Dragon? It could have been a Wyvern, Dragonewt, or even a Slither Wyrm." he argued with a reasonable assumption, anyone with knowledge on the Flame Dragon would know it's appearance is much sooner than expected.

The Bar Maid merely grinned a little wider, "I saw it with my own two eyes! It really was a Flame Dragon! It looked at me with eyes that said "pitiful humans"." She recounted once more her experiences then she thought of a question they were all wondering, "Who drove away the flame dragon, You may ask? There was three different types of people. One wore Green mottled green clothes, Humans. The Second type wore Grey and Light Brown Armor, also human and maybe some elves, and the Third were the White Knights." She continued with what she saw; the JSDF, Brotherhood, and Guardians, all of which engaged the Flame Dragon in some fashion.

Upon hearing White Knights they tavern erupted once more, "The White Knights of Gardeeyan!?" they exclaimed in unison, some with surprise and others with shock.

The Bar Maid's confident expression was an assurance to the patrons, "Yes! They are indeed honorable and humble as everyone makes them out to be." She explained before continuing with her job, "Their Magic is unrivaled, They rounded most of us up into a crowd then they used their magic to create a barrier to shield us from the Flame Dragon." she said remembering her experience.

 _The would-be Bar Maid stood with over a dozen refugees from Coda Village, all crowding around a single White Knight as directed by other White Knights and the other knights in brown and grey. She was afraid, she wanted to run, she didn't want to die like some many others that couldn't escape the Flame Dragon's breath._

 _As she panicked with the others constantly looking around, she caught a glimpse of something the White Knight in the center was holding; a perfectly round stone detailed with strange runes the size of an apple. Holding it up in the air, the stone began emit a faint glow and soon with all eyes laying on the White Knight it as if he was calling divine intervention from the heavens._

 _The Flame Dragon came for another pass, the people scream and panicked louder. The Dragon blew down on the crowd with it's fiery breath and awaited death, however then they realized they were not dead they looked and saw the White Knights of Gardeeyan put up a magic barrier that shielded them._

 _The Bar Maid noticed the Magic Stone the White Knight was holding had a pulsating glow. In awe, the crowd calmed down. Unbeknownst to the White Knights, this would be the day the Knights were no longer seen as Foreign Armored Mages but Warriors of Holy Light and the refugees from Coda Village will never forget this day._

The Bar Maid's thoughts were interrupted when someone spoke up, "Such Noble Knights." he commented upon hearing the actions of said Knights, the patrons all sounded an acknowledging hmm.

The was a moment of silence before another woman spoke up, tending to other patrons at the tavern, "Sadly, T'was not the White Knights that drove off the Flame Dragon." she explained garnering many intrigues expressions. This woman had been saved by the White Knights and the pleasure of traveling with Rory the Reaper along with her daughter, "It was the Green Dotted Men and Women." she stated to the patrons.

Men and Women, that was an odd combination for the patrons and some of which merely looked to each other, "Women, you say?" finally one spoke out. While it was rare to fight women on the battlefield it wasn't unheard of.

Remembering the Soldiers in Green, the Bar Maid can attest to that, "Yes, There were Three Women. One was a Foreign Beauty with a tall stature with beautiful, flowing black hair. The Second was a Cute Girl with a small frame and chestnut brown hair. The Third was a Light Blonde with lovely blue eyes, if she wasn't human I'd say she was an Elf." She recalls the appearances of the Kuribayashi, Kurokawa and Ilya.

"Beautiful Women!" One male patron shouted, the rest of the men all rose their glasses in unison and cheered.

The Bar Maid looked looked annoyed by the response, "Puh, You men are all the same!" she retorted before going back to what sue was doing earlier.

All the mean while, Piña and her companions were listening intently to what the Bar Maid and the Woman had to say about the White Knights, suffice to say they learned a little more than what's being passed around despite the rumors being unbelievable. Piña had an interest in the other two, the Men in Green and the Grey and Brown Soldiers, they were have never heard of until now and given the situation with the Whites Knights it's likely both the Bar Maid and the Woman were telling the truth. If so, then the Empire could have more potential enemies, Enemies Piña couldn't fathom fighting against especially not after driving away a Flame Dragon.

"What about the Knights in Grey and Brown?" Pina asked before the Bar Maid could leave.

Stopping dead in her tracks, the Bar Maid looked off in the distance as if to think about, "Hmm? Now that I think about it, I can't seem to remember." she said, as subtle and deliberate as it was, she knew what she was doing.

It was clear as to what she was doing, Hamilton then brought upon herself to reach for a Silver Coin and pay for the information, "I think this will jog your memory." she said.

Just as Hamilton finished the Bar Maid quickly swiped the Coin from Hamilton's hand, "Oh, I think I'm starting to remember something I forgot to mention." the Bar Maid gleefully said whilst holding the Coin closely.

Whether it was charity or payment, Hamilton smiled knowing the Bar Maid was happy, "What kind of magic did they use to drive the Flame Dragon away?" she kindly asked curious as to what those foreigners did to drive off such a massive deadly creature.

Pocketing the coin, The Bar Maid cleared her throat, "The Men in Green and the Soldiers in Brown and Grey, in all their infinite wisdom, conjured up _That Thing_." she explained.

"That Thing?" They group questioned.

" _The Rod of Steel._ " The Bar Maid continued as best as she could describe it.

"Rod of Steel?" Once more the group questioned which wasn't helping a lot.

Norma, one of the knights assigned to Pina's group, was still rather skeptical, "Are you certain you're not mistaking it for the Gardeeyans' Magic Rods?" he argued. To the locals, the "Rod of Steel" could anything at this point.

Grinning in over confidence the Bar Maid straightened her stance, "This was an oversized Magic Wand, they used it to cast a spell." she reaffirmed, "The spell struck the Flame Dragon and blew off it's arm."

The woman from before overheard heir conversation and chimed in, "I saw it too, one of those Grey Soldiers shouted a magic spell; FUS ROH DAH!" she shouted shooting her arm out with a quick punch and resembled her stance to that of the Grey Soldier with said Rod of Steel.

"Yes, that's right, They used two of those Rods of Steel." The Bar Maid confirmed.

Curious, Hamilton wondered what these Rods of Steel looked like, "Are there any details about the Rods of Steel? What did it look like?" she asked listening with intrigue.

"Oh ho ho ho, Don't feint such innocence, The Rod looks like a Rod." The Bar Maid was quick to respond hiding a grin behind her hand and giggling like flustered girl, "Just like a man's thing, Large and Black." she simply says. Both the JSDF and Brotherhood rocket designs were different; The JSDF Panzerfaust looked like a beefed up RPG used by the Russians, the Brotherhood SMAW despite being modified still a resembled an American SMAW, Either way, the description of both and the comparison wasn't to far off; a long dark shaft with a rounded tip at the front tip, the JSDF weapon with more of a bulbous shape. With that, the Bar Maid left to attend to the other patrons.

The innuendo was obvious and the pun was very much intended. Hamilton got the picture and had a slight blush as she thought about it. Hopefully nobody notice so she reached for her drink to hide the blush and began sipping.

Piña picked up on this however and spoke up, "Hamilton, You're the one with the Fiancé." she told Hamilton reminding her of her commitment and called her out.

Hamilton nearly choked on her drink and spat it out, "I-I am Maiden! There's no way that I can talk about such Lewd Things!" She quickly defended with a flustered look on her face.

"Ho, Lewd things." Piña shot back with an unamused expression. Hamilton however, was completely stammered.

Moments go by in silence, Piña decided to shift the conservation and flaged down the Lady from before, "Fair Lady, Do tell of your encounter with these White Knights. Clearly you aren't from Coda Village." She said as the Lady approached the table.

The Lady merely nodded, "Yes, my Family and I were traveling until we were ambushed by Bandits, they killed my husband and when we were next the White Knights appeared and killed all the bandits with their Magic Rods." She recounted her encounter, "I prayed and cried out for help then they showed up at the last minute. I didn't believe the rumors until that day."

Piña had her answer, "Well, what do you think, Grey?" she asked her compatriot, seeing how he doubted the growing rumors.

Before Grey could speak up, Norma, another Knight from the Order of the Rose traveling with Piña answered "I'd say they were all tall tales, but all these rumors of White Knights has me wondering." He said admitting his curiosity too, "I'm more interested in the Green Dotted Mercenaries and the Grey and Brown Soldiers. We haven't heard anything about them until now."

The Lady was about to leave when Piña noticed, "Miss!" she cried catching the Lady's attention, "Was there anything about the Grey and Brown Soldiers you can tell me about? Anything at all?" she asked wondering if there were any details she could use to identify said soldiers."

"Hmm..." The Lady stopped to think, "They all appeared human for the most part, some of them had different tones of skin color, I think some of them may have been dark elves." she explained bein reminded of the Brotherhood Soldiers and how some of them had darker skin tones. To her, their armor was no different from Knights Armor but she did pick up on a small detail often overlooked, "Those Soldiers in Grey and Brown all shared the same symbol, it looked like a funny tree." she continued and took a finger, dapped in one of the drinks, and drew the symbol on a piece of parchment.

Piña took one look at the symbol and her heart sank, stomach churned as she recognized the symbol; The Symbol of the _**Bruhthahood**_. The same symbol she had seen in her dream. She stared at the symbol shocked along with her compatriots who were oblivious, she didn't tell her dream to anyone and yet this one Lady managed to draw the same symbol without having any prior knowledge of it.

The Lady coughed to get the attention of Piña and her cohorts, "Their leader, a woman, she has a fierce tone with a spirit made of fire and white eyes; cold white eyes." She said. Her last three words echoed in Piña head, along with flashes of those Stone Cold Eyes. The Lady continued her story, "She conjured up a sword from nothing, a magic sword or something. I personally saw her take down the White Knights with ease. Scary woman, even The Apostle of Emroy; Rory the Reaper, didn't do anything to help the White Knights." she said again recounting her encounter with the White Knights but also with these new Grey and Brown Soldiers.

With that, Piña was reminded of her dream when she saw Soldiers in Black Armor rush up a hill only to be cut down with ease. If these Black Armored Knights were just the same as the White Knights then she figured it wouldn't be impossible based on what she had seen and what the Lady told her.

Grey, Hamilton, and Norma thought of it as another tall tale however when they glanced over to Piña who had a troubled expression they began to reconsider. What if what the Lady said was indeed true, how would they even combat such a figure that has been said to rival an apostle? Times in The Realm were constantly changing, this time, it was changing in a different way no one was going to prepare for.

 **JSDF Headquarters, Alnus Hill, Following Morning**

Things back at Alnus were more or less the same as they were before they began sending recon teams. Everyone was at their assigned posts, personal worked as they did, but for Itami he was having any of it. Itami wasn't looking forward to working with Rika let alone physical work, he mulled over it as he dragged his feet towards Rika's supple depot.

"There you are." Suddenly he heard a voice beside him call out.

"Huh?" Itami sounded then turned to look. Lieutenant Yaganida was leaning against the corner wall having a cigarette, out of sight from where Itami was coming from.

The Lieutenant casually took an inhale of smoke, "You're quite the slippery one." he said then exhaled.

If it weren't for Rika, he wouldn't have a very good excuse, "Well, Quartermaster Rika _kindly_ asked me to help her out this morning." he responded rubbing the back of his head and giving Yaganida a nervous chuckle.

Yaganida didn't express any emotion for Itami and simply stared, "That's not what I was referring to." he said dismissing Itami's excuse regardless if it was relevant because that wasn't Yaganida's concern, "You were keeping Contact-Schedule, that is until you began " _suffering"_ communication problems after repelling that Dragon." He explained what Itami relayed in his report. Taking another puff of smoke, Yaganida continued, "Did you think we'd order you to abandon the refugees?" he then questioned the Second Lieutenant.

Of course, Itami knew what he was talking about but that wasn't the reason why and he would most likely be reprimanded had he followed protocol so he quickly came up with an excuse, "Oh, well you see, that must've been because of some electromagnetic storm in the ionosphere." he explained ignoring that last question.

The Lieutenant was in charge for most things around Alnus and reported directly to General Hazama. A number of reports told to him by the communications personal is that there was interference with the radios that simply couldn't be placed so it would have to come from the atmosphere and can easily be blamed on the present Magic of the Special Region, "Perhaps, but that doesn't explain why you like playing behind the curtains." Yaganida agreed but them quickly reversed the subject back to Itami's actions.

Relieved, Itami smiled, "At least it makes me feel better." he said.

The Lieutenant didn't like this and shot a sun glare with his glasses, "That doesn't help me." he retorted. After finished his cigarette leaned off the wall and cocked his head right, "Let's take this somewhere else."

Itami followed the Lieutenant over to the command building and up unto balcony overlooking the JSDF Base. The view wasn't too great but nice enough you could see the tops of the many canvas tents and the Base's fortified concrete walls without being obstructed by buildings and tents.

The Lieutenant positioned himself alongside the balcony railing and looked off into the distance, "Listen Itami, This World, The Special Region is a treasure trove. Unpolluted, Clean Air, Untouched Nature, along with the vast resources that could completely overhaul The World's economy. Cultural difference from medieval times to the modern age, and the only connection to this world is Japan." He spoke freely but also with a hint of nationalism. It was clear the Lieutenant was deliberately steering the conversation to an eventuality in he near future.

Itami merely listened to the Lieutenant's words however no matter how deliberate the conversation was, Itami thoughts were only of the Brotherhood and Guardians he had run into. Despite being with them for a short time, he had seen enough during the Flame Dragon's attack that these armies clearly knew war. The JSDF might fair against the Brotherhood he thought but against the Guardians they would never stand a chance.

Yaganida continued, "The Politicians in Nagata-cho want to know; Is this something here worth turning America, China, and Russia...No, The World into our enemy?" He asked them turned to Itami as if he was wanting his advice but really ha wanted a personal opinion.

Again, Itami thought of the Brotherhood and Guardians, "How the hell should I know that?" He responded. America, Russia, and China would be the least of Japan's worries once they run into the Guardians and Brotherhood.

Yaganida sighed, he was clear enough he thought, "You don't get it. Wealth means power in our world." He simply said. If that were the case, then the Brotherhood and Guardians were extremely wealthy according to Yaganida, "In the extreme case, Japan could cut all ties from Earth and solely rely on this world." This caught Itami's undivided attention.

Thinking about the idea of Japan relying on the Special Region sounds like an ideal opportunity, however the current circumstances would jeopardize that and Itami knew that, then again they'll cross that bridge when they come to it, "So you want me to go ask the refugees where they get their Gold and Silver?" He then asked discarding his thoughts on the Brotherhood and Guardians for now.

A small smirk could be seen from Yaganida's lips, "You got a good relationship going with these people, if they don't know then maybe you could ask them who does know." he responded before adjusting his glasses.

Itami thought about how that would go over but he kept going back to thoughts about the Brotherhood and Guardians. Why were they here, sure a GATE may have opened in their world but Why? If they were well-off which was reinforced by Yaganida's words, then for what purpose does the Other Worlders have in the Special Region. Resources, Territory, Influence? Whatever their intentions were, they would have to hurdle the first obstacle of an Official First Contact.

As Itami quietly stood there thinking, Yaganida proceeded to leave but not before leaving the Second Lieutenant some parting words, "You'll be given a lot of free time soon, Itami. However you'll have to think about our future." He said as he left.

Itami does wonder about the future of the JSDF in the Special Region. While he anticipated to meet with the Guardians and Brotherhood again, the idea was unnerving because he might get to see much more than just an APC and Humvee. It troubled him to think about the aircraft and heavy armor they would have at their disposal, which he should be.

Itami's thinking was interrupted by a shout from below, "Itami! What are you doing up there?! I needed your help like-yesterday!" Itami flinched as the shouting, It was Rika having noticed Itami up on the balcony, "C'mon, let's go! Don't make come up there!" she snapped.

Somewhat frightened Itami nervously saluted, "C-coming!" he said before running to the door and making his way downstairs quickly.

Since their arrival, the refugees have been observing the JSDF work setting up a camp for said refugees. Tuka and Lelei especially watched carefully as the JSDF soldiers level the ground, pitch up tents, and distributing rations for everyone to have breakfast, overall being helpful was an understatement. Lelei however was more interested in the many large metal siege carriages of the JSDF at completed the work of one hundred men in mere hours, she was invested as to how the work and determined to learn what she can. Of course, she immediately picked up on the fact that each one had different uses for different tasks clearly shown to her as of late with the Brotherhood and JSDF vehicles.

Later it came around to do a head count of all the refugees and register the names. At first things were stagnating with the first few people but eventually it picked up as more people saw what was going on.

Lelei's and her Master went to resgister their names, "I am a Wizard, Master Cato El Altestan." He introduced cheerfully before turning to his apprentice, "This is my student."

"Lelei La Lelena" she simply responded.

It came around for Tuka to come up after several others, "I am the daughter of Hodoru of Coan Forest, Tuka Luna Marceau." she said nervously unsure how to act with many foreign eyes on her.

After several more refugees went, Rory was up next. Confident, Rory made sure to put on a display as to show who the JSDF were dealing with, "You may call me; Rory Mercury, I am an Apostle of Emroy. The God of Darkness, Death, War, Violence, and Insanity." she said with a seductive dark tone.

As things were getting back in order, Ilya Kasukezaki had a spare and free time to kill for the moment before her next duty. Aside from hanging out in her barracks, she would reminisce about her time in high school and the friends she made throughout despite being dealt a heavy hand in life, that being constantly put down, bullied, berated, and overall just being ostracized in general.

Deciding to go for a walk around the base, she left her barracks placing a pair of bluetooth earbuds in her ears at the door. Pulling out a device she found the sound she wanted and hit play.

 **(School Rumble 2nd Ending "Kono ippo susumu made, Tsugi no ippo made" - Play)**

As the instrumental started, Ilya then started her walk and would sing along as the song played.

 **Sore ga hetakuso de, Nanka kuyashii kedo, Mada akiramenai, ne? Bonyari to shiteru, Yume mo sono uchi ni, Kiri ga hareta you ni shite miseru.**

Singing with a soft voice, Ilya followed the perimeter of Alnus, passing by multiple personal whom all looked at her with acknowledgement or at least like she was crazy. Nonetheless, Ilya didn't care, she continued to sing and have a little blissful dance in her walk.

 _(That's my clumsiness, Its something vexing, but I can't give up yet, right? But, someday, even these hazy dreams, Will clear away like a lifting fog and can be seen.)_

 **Kono ippo susumu made, Tsugi no ippo made, Jikkuri yuku kara, Mae ni susumu kara, Jibun no peesu de.**

Lelei, having decided to learn as much as she can, stood with the JSDF personal preparing evening meals, determined to learn despite the language barrier. Ilya off in the distance could be seen walking along the fortification walls.

 _(Until I take this step forward , Until I take another step after, Because I'll continue carefully, I'll go on from before, At my own pace.)_

 **Chiisana heya demo, Yabou ga tsumatteru, Ichi ichi, iwanai ga... Sorezore no jidai, Sorezore no jinsei, Dakedo tsunagatteru ningen mo yo.**

In another area close to Alnus, a large group of refugees huddled together, mainly children and few adults, all chatted away their problems as well expressing their fears. Some of the children laughing despite their current situation. Ilya having made it to this side of the fortification simply by walking, she was still in her own world happily singing along.

 _(It was a small room, but it was full of ambition, One by one, unsaid was... Each area, each life, But that's that pattern that ties us all together.)_

 **Kono namida ga aru kara, Tsugi no ippo to naru. Hakkiri wakaru yo, Mae ni susunderutte, Kagayaki no moto he.**

Before Ilya left the fortification catwalk, she passed by Rory the Reaper whom she was looking off in the distance directly South-East, roughly where the Brotherhood FOB would be located. Rory too was determined, determined to find out the mystery that is the Brotherhood and Guardians.

 _(Because there are these tears, They will become my next step, I understand it perfectly, I am going forward, To the "radiance")_

 **Kono namida ga aru kara, Tsugi no ippo to naru. Hakkiri wakaru yo, Mae ni susunderutte, Kagayaki no moto he.**

Coming from the fortifications steps, Ilya walked by the Armory Depot. Hoth Itami and Rika could be seen carrying a large crate together. Poor Itami already looked overworked and tired but Rika on the other hand looked like she had just gotten started.

 _(Because there are these tears, They will become my next step, I understand it perfectly, I am going forward, To the "radiance")_

The song ends when she gets back to her barracks. Having the song on repeat, it played back at 4 times in the ground she covered. Ilya wasn't going for record time, this was a song that spoke to her and often times she played it to "wash" her stress away and used also used it as a confidence booster.

 **JSDF Command Building**

Lieutenant Yaganida had recieved and noticed there were some discrepancies happening around as of late and needed to inform the General. Coming into his office, he saluted and stood at attention, "General Hazama." he greeted.

Hazama saluted back, "What is it, Lieutenant?" he casually asked expecting the usual.

Easing his stance, Yaganida turned to his clipboard of the discrepancies he noted, "A couple of things." he said and began at the top, "First, we've also been receiving a strange noise on our communications equipment, there's something in the area emitting an electromagnetic frequency that's interfering with our radios. It could be the atmosphere, however..." he explained but coincidentally mentioned Itami's excuse for lack of communication. As he finished he trailed off and turned to a page behind top.

General Hazama was curious to say the least and allowed Yaganida to continue. Patiently waiting for Yaganida to start up again.

Looking over the papers to make sure they were accurate, he started speaking again, "...Upon further investigation, we discovered the frequency is actually a signal being broadcasted though EMFs. Our radios picked up traces of voices amongst the static."

Surprised and skeptical, Hazama scoffed, "A signal? Voice in the Static? Highly unlikely." he said dismissing Yaganida's report.

Yaganida expression had a slight frown because he had in Hazama's response when he was told about it but after confirming with the communications personal several times he became convinced, "Regardless, we're treating it as an anomaly." The Lieutenant continued but Hazama could argue, Yaganida spoke up first, "We've been trying to decipher this anomaly as of late and began sending drones for aerial recon to survey the surrounding area for anything that could produce an electromagnetic field on the frequency however..." he said and once against trailed began going through his clipboard to support the claims.

Hazama was going to protest but when Yaganida began going through his clipboard he refrained from speaking and waited for the Lieutenant.

Yaganida then took one of the pages with an image on it from his clipboard and places it in front of Hazama to look at, "...one of our drones picked this up." with that, Yaganida patiently waited for Hazama to respond at the image on the page.

The Image was taken from an aerial drone's view as used for reconnaissance and intelligence purposes, it showed a large clearing with at least four different fortifications with approximately 1km apart from each other, A large runway spanning a several of football fields in length, a war-torn area filled with destroyed buildings and trenches which were clearly used for training, and a decent sized motor-pool. Each of the four fortifications had perimeter walls that were different from the next. The smallest of the fortifications appeared to have GATE with wooden walls. The second smallest looked consistent to that of a prison with a double chain link fence. The second largest had what appeared to be two different style buildings, one of them being similar to modern design and the other looking straight out of a sci-fi movie, The largest building there appeared to be a command center of sorts, the perimeter walls was concrete with sandbag placements at the entrances. The Largest of the Fortifications had a combination of the sci-fi and modern buildings, which looked like multiple barracks' placed neatly and orderly.

General Hazama frowned with confusion and shock with a side order of disbelief, "That looks like a Military Base." he finally muttered with a semi-serious tone.

"We believe it is sir." The Lieutenant agreed, "Furthermore, Fifth Recon Team still hasn't reported in. I'm beginning to wonder if this Military Base has anything to do with that." he added noting the absent recon crew captured by the Guardians.

Hazama paused to think about it for a moment before speaking, "Let's not jump to conclusions just yet." He said expressing caution.

"Whoever owns that Base has an active military presence there. The layout of the Base is inconsistent with what we're familiar with, unfortunately." Yaganida explained. Most base layouts were generally the same in Earth's Militaries but this was rather odd to be that spread apart based on the image. The Lieutenant then proceeded to place both his hands on Hazama's desk and lean forward, "Sir, it's likely that these people aren't from the Special Region nor do I suspect they are from our World." he said in a lower tone, whether it was personal opinion or to get a point across.

Hazama rose an eyebrow in response getting the hint, "Are you suggesting that another GATE has opened up?" he asked, he knew the Lieutenant wasn't going to outright say it but they both understood that was the case.

Yaganida leaned off the desk and shifted his glasses, "We don't want to draw any conclusions prematurely, but it looks that way, I'm afraid." he said returning to usual addressing stance.

Hazama contemplated the evidence put before him, "Hmm, Strange Signal, Missing Recon Team, Military Outpost. We don't want to cause a panic but at the same time we need to be more cautious, The defense of Alnus Hill left us bare and the last thing we want is a full scale war with an army we know next to nothing about." He explained, that goes without saying because if Earth happened to find this out, then it's likely the Americans, or even the UN, would get involved. That was something Hazama didn't want because it would have foreign troops on Japanese soil. The General couldn't stress the complications as a result. Raising a pointed hand, he spoke, "I also need to point out that these people aren't our enemy unless proven otherwise, we need to consider the benefits as well as the consequences regarding this "army"." he added, realizing this could benefit the JSDF in the long run if there was a chance for an alliance.

Lieutenant Yaganida knew what the General said and smiled in response, "Based on the layout, we can safely assume there are two factions at this outpost, likely a coalition of sorts." He explained, although obviously. Yaganida then dropped his smile as he realized he failed to address something important, "General, I don't need to stress that if these people are here for the same reasons we are, we could be looking at a resource war." he said then gave the General a semi-serious look with concern hiding behind it.

The General looked unfazed by what Yaganida had told him, "I'm well aware of that, Lieutenant. If Fifth Recon doesn't return soon, I want a recon team to confirm the location of that Base and continue observing with aerial drones. Find out what we are dealing with and hopefully find out what happen to our men." he ordered.

Nodding, Yaganida acknowledged the order, "Of course sir, I'll let the Major know." he said before saluting and leaving the room to inform the Major, discretely of course. As he walked down the hall, Yaganida had a minor thought creep into his mind; Did Itami have an encounter with this "Other Army" which resulted in lack-of-communication? A reasonable individual wouldn't deny that coincidence.

As he left, Hazama returned to the Image of the Base. Based on the Image alone, the JSDF wouldn't stand much of a stance against this unknown military force, especially with those belonging to the Sci-Fi faction. The JSDF had only just got here and this Base looked like it had been there unchecked for months, General Hazama wanted to keep the UN out and avoid an altercation with this new group. He was dealt a new set of cards against unknown players and he needed to play them carefully.

 **Brotherhood FOB**

A lone Guardian Trooper cautious stepped forward in the alleyway between buildings, weapon raised and constantly checking his sectors. Things weren't so ideal than he'd hoped. Stopping at an alley intersection, he leaned against one of the corner walls and slowly peaked out his head to see if there was anything there.

There was nothing but a way into the courtyard of the FOB which appeared empty. Just as he scanned the area, something struck the side of his helmet then he fell limp dropping to the ground. Peering from one of the windows of the building with a clear sight of the fallen Guardian Trooper, A Brotherhood 1st Marine had her weapon trained on the intersection.

The name on the chest plate said "Rathsi" followed by a Corporal's Chevron. Corporal Rathsi continued to aim down the intersection incase any other Guardians appeared, "Three down, two to go." she said to herself with a middle-eastern accent. She then takes her attention from the intersection to scan across the windows on the far side of the courtyard, just as she spots some movement on one of the rooftops she immediately ducks and as she does so, a Bolt of Energy flys in and strikes the wall leaving behind a burn mark.

Atop the building, the Guardian zeroed in on Rathsi gets up and quickly vacates the area. He jumps off the building and runs inside the same building. The second and final Guardian has the door covered as his comrade runs in.

"Did you get one?" The second Guardian asks.

"Nah, He ducked as I took the shot." The sniper Guardian replied believing the Brotherhood soldier to be a male, "Looked like he was alone."

The second Guardian had a realization, "If he was alone then that would mean-" stopping mid-sentence as a Frag Grenade was thrown in from the window. Standing on either side of the window, a pair of Brotherhood Marines stood by waiting for the explosion.

Boom*After the explosion the Marine Pair hoped inside to clear the building. The Guardian Sniper was slumped against the wall slathered in black residue from the grenade. Coming around the corner, the Second Guardian sprayed a hail of bolts nailing both Brotherhood Marines. Both of them dropped to the ground, "I didn't think that would work." he said to himself.

It wasn't long before he left the building and continued on with his objective alone, making his way towards a Canvas Tent placed in behind the command center of the AO. Rushing inside, weapon raised and ready to engage the only Brotherhood Marine left but no one was inside the canvas tent. There was no way he was there first but he was anyway. Rather than wait for Corporal Rathsi, he immediately went for the objective which was placed in a Big Military Crate. Going to open the Crate, he placed his weapon down and noticed something was off, he froze and listened as well as scanning the tent. His intuition told him just to take the crate alone but he had no time for the Brotherhood Marine left would ambush him.

Quickly opening the crate, which he failed to notice it was already unlocked, he flipped the crate's hatch and was immediately met with a pistol barrel pointed to his head. ***Bang*** the Guardian dropped to the ground.

Climbing out of the Big Military Crate, Corporal Rathsi checked the Guardian she just shot before going for the objective which she placed on a table beside the crate; A Data Drive. After picking up the Data Drive, she took her radio, "Objective secure, All Targets Eliminated." she said.

There was a brief silence for the moment until there was a pulse wave that blew through the AO, "War Game Simulation, Over. Brotherhood 1st Marines is the Victor!" A monotoned voice said via intercom echoing through the AO.

"Ugh, That wasn't fair." The Guardian on the floor had said.

Corporal Rathsi rolled her eyes in response and folded her arms, "Oh please, Since when is War ever fair?" she argued.

The Guardian gets up from the floor but as he does he speaks, "There's a reason there's Laws for War." he argued back.

The Corporal just about to burst laughing but manages to snicker instead. "You sound like a politician." She shot back. Rathsi then unfolds her arms and squares up to the Guardian Trooper, "Do you think your enemy will play by your rules? We might as well use swords to combat the enemy of this world if that's the case. Do you believe they have Laws of War? What about Prisoners-of-War, would they treat us fairly? Would be any different if the roles were reversed?" She barrages the Trooper with questions.

"Okay!" The Guardian yelled making Rathsi stop with the questions, "You made your point. Sheesh." he said with defeat then walked off to meet with his teammates.

Rathsi smiles confidently knowing she'd won that argument. Taking off her Standard Protective Helmet, she runs a hand through her glossy raven black hair; it was a boys cut with a typical tapered style, very tomboyish in general. After a moment, she is greeted with her squad who all congratulate her for getting the win. They proceed to leave the training grounds and allow the other squads to try a different war game.

In the Command Building, Yuki and the others were too busy to care about the war games results even if the Brotherhood won 6-of-4 times. The Brotherhood Personal were frantically at their workstations on their terminals. Some moving about the room bring papers to and from other workstations. Since Yuki's command desk was in the middle, she and her second-in-commands were there as well as the Comms Personal.

The Comms Personal basically just became the de-facto secretary for the Commander-Supreme as she was in the shadow of Yuki when she was around, "Commander-Supreme, The Eisenreich and Brotherhood Engineers have arrived, as well as supplies from the Reich and the Mainland." The Comms Personal announced.

Without looking, Yuki acknowledged with a nod, "Good, Have the Engineers start construction on the Runway Hangers and expand the Runway." she explained to the Comms Personal and glanced over who then responded with a nod and went to her ear piece to announce the order. Yuki then turned around to her Commanders, "Have the materials for the K-97s arrived?"

"Yes they have." Commander Hanai said before pulling up the invoice and manifest on Yuki's terminal delivered and received at the GATE, "As it stands now, we can afford to construct at least 3 Interceptors, Maybe 4. We'll have to send for another request at later date."

"I suppose that'll do." Yuki said with a sigh. She then turned to Commander Jarrus, "What do we have for Gunships?" she asked.

Jarrus was on a tablet going through reports and manifests, "Nothing, but the Guardian Chancellor had requested for T-4011s Transport shuttles, We received 6 so far." he answered before taking a file on his tablet and with a quick flick of his wrist, the file appeared on Yuki's terminal with details and schematics of the Guardian Transport Shuttles.

The T-4011 Shuttle VTOL resembled a large Mi-35 without the helicopter propellors, it had a short stubby fin in place of the Mi-35 tail. The Guardian VTOL was double the width to the of the actual Mi-35 allowing for double the space and side-by-side piloting. The VTOL had a couple of basic weapons; A rapid firing laser on the nose, and a pair of laser beam weapons at the end of it's stubby wings. It could be outfitted with heavier munitions however the Guardian Laser weapons were powerful as is.

Yuki once again sighed, "I guess that's the best we can do thus far." she said. Clearly she knew the Coalition was lacking solid support overall. Ground Infantry and Vehicles could only do so much.

Jarrus, still on the tablet continued with the manifests, "Also, Your request for more Tortoise HBTs have arrived as well, bumping up our numbers from 8 to 16." he announced, prompting Yuki to shoot a double thumbs up.

"Preparing for War are we, Commander-Supreme?" a voice asked aloud. Coming from behind the back area of the office, an officer in a long white overcoat came over.

"Chancellor Tykus." Yuki greeted forgetting he was there too. She watched him approach the desk with Jarrus stepping aside to make room for the Chancellor, "Perhaps you can help us by requesting for more resources from the Guardian Empire." She told him.

The Chancellor nodded and smiled, "Well, I've taken the liberty and requested for more T-2410s AA vehicles but also a couple of T-5410 Fighting Platforms. With Colossal-Classes running about, we certainly could use the Firepower." he replied and with that Yuki was satisfied with the answer.

For the remainder of the day, Yuki and her Coalition heads would organize and list whatever they would need and determine which was a priority as the requisitions would be restricted to a per-kilo limit.

Outside, Mintah and his Guardian buddy; Fruya, were standing in line at the Quartermaster's supply depot. Mintah, being injured, needed to hand his equipment while he recovered from his escapade.

Fruya, having Mintah's duffle bag in hand to help him, constantly looked over Mintah, "You sure you're good?" he asked.

Mintah, in traditional Brotherhood Combat Fatigues standing there with an arm sling and a bit rough looking but nonetheless able to walk, "Yeah, I probably won't be deployed anytime soon though." he answered, "We have more than enough troops and equipment here to take this world. I also heard we're getting more reinforcements, I'll be lucky if I see combat again."

The Guardian looked confused, "What, we're getting reinforcements?" he questioned. Fruya figured they had more than enough soldiers but reinforcements seemed overkill.

Mintah looked around as if to check if someone was around before leaning to Fruya, "Rumor says it's Eisenreich." he told him with a low tone.

Fruya in turn was taken back but didn't show his expression, his body language said enough as he took a step, "I didn't think those fascists would manage to get through the checkpoint." he responded.

Mintah agreed with a nod, "I didn't either, Hopefully Commander-Supreme knows what she's doing."

At this point, The Quartermaster was ready see the two, he coughed to get their attention and motioned them to step forth. Fruya stepped up and placed Mintah's duffle bag on the counter between the Quartermaster and the two.

"Hey." The Quartermaster greeted before taking Mintah's bag and begin unload the contents for inventory.

Before Mintah could respond, he sees a little creature lazily wearing a Brotherhood patrol cap in back organizing equipment from the other Brotherhood Soldiers, "...Hi." Mintah manages to mutter. The little creature was clearly a goblin, the only goblin interested in technology; Olok.

The Quartermaster could easily tell Mintah was staring and paused his work, "Don't pay him any attention, You deal with me and me alone." he said with a demanding tone.

Mintah took his eyes off Olok and to the Quartermaster, "Right." the Ranger acknowledged.

The Quartermaster continued with the inventory. Clipboard closeby, the Quartermaster went through the checklist; Damaged Vest, Slightly used Rifle, Broken Knife, Dirty Shin/Forearm Armors, etc. Mintah stood there with Fruya waiting for the Quartermaster to sent them off when he was done.

 **The Spiritual Realm, Eisenreich Crown City**

The Eisenreich Crown City, built between several peaks of high mountains dividing the city into 4 sections; The Royal, The Industrial, The Residential, and The Commercial, with bridges connecting to each part of the city. The Royal Section was on the higher peak, Both the Industrial and the Commercial were more-or-less level with each other, and finally the Residential Section was the lowest but larger than the others. Spread throughout the Mountain side overlooking and encircling the Crown City were towers each with connecting gondolas, these towers were used by police and military personal overlooking the city as well as providing overwatch outside said city. The Buildings were very consistent with those of the Victorian Architecture, however in place of stone was steel, the finest and refined steel one could forge it might as be titanium however it did need replacing from time to time. What made Eisenreich so successful is that the Reich sat on top of Live Iron Ore deposits, these deposits would bleed Iron Ore on a monthly basis and over the countless generations Eisenreich have mastered the metal, and metal became the very soul of Eisenreich.

Being been the Royal Section several times, a female officer, dressed in your typical black Schutzstaffel uniform with the exception of bare shoulders in place of shoulders, walked down the hall within the Kaiserschloss, Eisenreich's Imperial Castle. She was summoned by her superior and called to the castle, why she was there she will so find out. Walking through a door, she sees a man wearing royal clothing fit for a prince sitting at a table, "Mein Kaiser." The Female Officer greeted and gave a courteous bow. The apparent Kaiser saluted back in response, "You summoned for me?" she asked but more for confirmation.

"I did, Kommandant _Blitzjäger_." The Kaiser answered and motioned her to close the door which she did and sat down at the table across from the Kaiser, "On orders from the Führer himself, I've been tasked with gathering assets for a special force. Originally, Kaiser Bergfuchs was supposed to be responsible for this but he's being reprimanded by the Führer, something to do with insulting a Brotherhood Official." he explained, a smirk could be seen on the Kaiser's mouth at the mention of Bergfuchs.

The Officer, Kommandant Blitzjäger, took a moment to think about the Brotherhood. Oh, how she loathed them, she hated their nationalism and having to work with them because they acted like bloodthirsty marauders on the battlefield. Despite her reservations, there were some ideas where she loved about the Brotherhood. When Eisenreich had a civil war, the Brotherhood intervened and had both sides concede, Blitzjäger was a huge supporter for Eisenreich joining the Brotherhood as it's 9th Division, she especially loved how the Brotherhood cares deeply for it's people; which was a major factor that started the Second Great War.

Blitzjäger's thoughts would be interrupted when her Kaiser spoke up, "This wouldn't be the first time Herr Kaiser Bergfuchs got reprimanded but I disgress." He openly said. The Kaiser then brought out a sheet of paper and read of the details, "His Excellency, requested for a Battalion of our best, brightest, and specifically Open-Minded." he relayed the information, by order of the Führer of course.

Blitzjäger frown in confusion, "I'm sorry? Did I hear that correctly?" she questioned.

The Kaiser chuckled at Blitzjäger's response, "That's what I said when his Excellency gave the orders." The Kaiser admitted. Placing the paper beside, he continued, "The Battalion itself acts to that of a Task Force, pulling individuals from all branches of the Reich. As for you, I summoned you because you expressed a willingness to command troops, with your service record with the Bundes Schutzgruppe I've no doubt you're the better option."

The Bundes Schutzgruppe was more-or-less the Federal Police, Intelligence Agency, Special Forces put together. Blitzjäger's name was actually a title she had earned along with her rank of Kommandant, needless to say her service record was a very good one.

Blitzjäger was speechless she was given such an honor, to be able to command troops on the battlefield as opposed to intelligence work. She rose a hand and placed over her heart before she bowed in her seat, "You have my eternal gratitude, Mein Kaiser." She muttered, with her head down she hid the tears forming in her eyes from the exuberant feeling she was feeling, "Gratitude that is only rivaled by my service to the Reich."

The Kaiser could feel her emotion based on the tone of her voice, "I like the enthusiasm however I will not be your reporting official." he told her which prompted Blitzjäger to look up at the Kaiser teary-eyed and confused once again, "I'm under obligation not to share details but This Special Battalion is being handed off to the Brotherhood." The Kaiser continued.

Blitzjäger fell quiet. She didn't know what to say, yes she got what she wanted but there was a cache, she was being handed off to those she loves and despises.

The Kaiser waited a moment before speaking again, "That being said, What are the criticisms about the Brotherhood do you have? Do you feel comfortable being commanded by individuals not of the Reich? How would you represent the Reich in the "peaceful" presence of your enemies?" He inquired with a barrage of questions. Of course, there was a cache especially with questions like these.

Finally snapping out of her " _dot EXE not working_ " moment, She wiped away her tears and spoke, "Why so inquisitive?" she asked returning to normal.

"I'll be honest with you, We're looking for Open-Minded, Unbiased, and Rational Individuals." The Kaiser told Blitzjäger. All things considered, most of Eisenreich supported the Brotherhood but there was a bias for, almost as if Eisenreich was the Brotherhood's "good boy" dog. The Kaiser then points to the wall, in the general direction of the Royal Throne Room, "His Excellency orders it to be so."

Blitzjäger had trouble wrapping her head around the idea, "I don't quite understand, Mein Kaiser." she admitted. Where was this going she wondered, theres no way selection was that extreme.

"You will." The Kaiser simply answered and before Blitzjäger could speak, he rose a finger, "Save your Criticisms and Convictions, they are not for me."

"Very well." She complied with a nod. She hen changed the subject, "If I am to be in charge of this Special Battalion, who will be under my command?" she asked leaving the idea she wasn't going to be picked and intentionally left ambiguity.

The Kaiser then pulled out a manifest of the Task Force and read over the points, "Several Companies of Infantry and Armored Units, Scientists, and a couple of platoons from the 5th Königliche Rittergard." he explained.

Like the Main Three, Eisenreich had it's own Order serving alongside their Armed Forces, and of course the Order Members, their "knights", were superior to their Armed Forces. Eisenreich's Knights were equal to that of the Guardian, Assassin, and Brotherhood Order Members and could stand toe-to-toe with them.

Consider what the Kaiser had said, Blitzjäger was taken back especially after hearing she would be in command of a few Knights, "Why _The Order of the Metal Stone_? I thought _The Order of Golden Steel was_ the best?" she questioned. Normally, the latter of the Orders would be first in line tor combat and well-known throughout the Reich, they were the SEAL team 6 as opposed to the other SEAL teams. Both Orders were just as lethal as the next, fact is one of them got more credit and more recognition.

The Kaiser expected this and nodded in response, "Naturally they both are, however _Metal Stone_ has fought more battles than _Golden Steel_." he answered, "Besides, a Battaltion like this hardly calls for more soldiers than it already needs."

With that, Blitzjäger was satisfied with his answer, "When would I take this Battalion to the Brotherhood?" she then asked a different question.

Moving this along, the Kaiser put away the manifest, "Right now, we're gather the assets and resources to go along. During that time, this time, you're going to meet and be briefed by the Führer about your mission. Do you understand?" he explained and motioned for someone to enter.

"Yes, Mein Kaiser." Blitzjäger acknowledged as someone came in from the door. The person was one of the Führer's aide holding a tablet. based on the design, the tablet was of Brotherhood in origin.

As the aide sat himself down beside the Kaiser, "Now, Let's start the interview, Herr Kommandant. Hail Reich." he said then proceeded to salute; the Kaiser crossed his arms over his chest forming an X.

Blitzjäger followed suit and did the same thing, "Hail Reich!" she confidently and assertively yelp then shot both arms out and up with closed fists; typical superman flight pose or rather Raiden's torpedo punch.

* * *

The more you know:

Guardian T-4011 VTOL Transport Shuttle - Often used to get around from place to place by Guardian Officials. It is primarily used by Guardian Infantry as it provides a blend of transportation and support.

Eisenreich's Bundes Schutzgruppe - As mentioned before, the BSG is a combination of Intelligence Agencies, Federal Police, and Special Forces. Formed after Eisenreich's Civil War, the BSG acts as it's own entity to prevent destablization from the People, the Führer and his Kaisers, and whatever Council in power. BSG acts solely on the policies on behalf of the Reich and only the Reich, but given the BSG greatly respects the Führer they often act on the request of the Leader sometimes overlooking theirnown policy.

Eisenreich's Königliche Rittergard - The Knight's Order is Eisenreich's equivalent to the Main Three's Orders. Once serving as sepcialized units during the First Great War alongside standard infantry, now the symbol of Elite Knights. Following the Second Great War, Eisenreich ultilized these knights to go against Order Members of both Guardians and Assassins, as a result they are seen as a force to be reckoned with.

AN: Hi, So how have you liked the story so far? I admit it seems rather slow in general. I write this during my breaks at work slowly "chipping away at the stone", figuratively speaking. Anyways, hoped you enjoy the story whule I work in the next chapter.


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